Portret van een meisje 1865 - 1917

Wegner and Mottu created this portrait of a girl as a Carte de Visite. During the Victorian era, the rise of photography coincided with evolving ideas about childhood. Children, previously seen as miniature adults, were now viewed as innocent beings deserving of protection and care. The Carte de Visite emerged as a popular medium for capturing these changing perceptions. In this portrait, the child, dressed in a pristine white dress, embodies the Victorian ideal of childhood purity. Seated in a chair, she gazes directly at the viewer, perhaps a staged pose by the photographer. The rise of photography studios like Wegner & Mottu democratized portraiture, making it accessible to a wider segment of society. To fully understand this photograph, one might consult studio records, census data, and etiquette manuals. The portrait as a social and cultural artifact reveals the complex interplay between art, commerce, and social values in Victorian society.