Dorothy K. Richmond’s “Wilhelmina”, Frances Hodgkins and the Rijsoord summer of 1903

This article explores the summer that New Zealand artists Dorothy K. Richmond and Frances Hodgkins spent in the Dutch artist colony of Rijsoord in 1903. Drawing on visual and archival evidence, it positions “Wilhelmina”, an oil painting recently acquired by Te Papa, as a product of Richmond’s stay in Rijsoord and sheds light on the social, cultural and artistic context in which it was painted. With reference to traditional Dutch dress, I interpret the painting as evidence of Richmond’s engagement with South Holland culture and daily village life. Moreover, by highlighting connections in composition and subject matter between “Wilhelmina” and select works by Frances Hodgkins, I argue that “Wilhelmina” visualises the fruitful artistic cross-pollination between Richmond and Hodgkins in the early years of the twentieth century.