Battle for the Trousers

I was in Glasgow today with a group of students for Innovative Learning Week. We visited the Cathedral, the Mitchell Library and the Burrell Museum. We saw lots of wonderful historic things today, but my favourite is this painting on glass.

Here is the description:

The panel shows a scene with seven women fighting each other for a pair of trousers. They are dressed in clothes typical of women in Holland in the 17th century. They are brandishing their working tools, which include a broom, a shovel, a kitchen knife and a distaff (a tool used in spinning).

The "Battle for the trousers" is a theme that is frequently illustrated in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. There are several different possible interpretations of the imagery but the trousers in the centre of the activity are symbolic of a society dominated by men.