According to Houbraken, around 1627 Van Ostade was a pupil of Frans Hals, but his early works more closely resemble those of his likely contemporary in Hals' workshop, Adriaen Brouwer. His oeuvre mainly consists of two main themes: peasant vices, usually in taverns, and more sedate scenes of peasants at rest. In the 1650s this second theme began to predominate in his oeuvre, with the figures becoming more refined. Some subjects - such as this single figure of a woman drinking - seem to fall somewhere in between.
