Portret van een onbekende vrouw c. 1875 - 1890

Curator: What strikes me immediately is the softness. There’s an almost ethereal quality to this portrait, despite the rigid conventions of the time. It feels surprisingly gentle. Editor: We are looking at an albumen print entitled "Portret van een onbekende vrouw" created sometime between 1875 and 1890 by C.S. Rawson. This photographic print gives us a glimpse into the visual culture and the representation of women during the late 19th century. I can almost feel the starch in her collar, if that makes sense! Curator: Absolutely. And I see a deliberate attempt to frame female identity within the societal expectations of the period, focusing on decorum and a certain level of... restriction, perhaps. But in that rigidity, I still see her spark! The profile, in particular, communicates quiet confidence. Do you think that’s right? Editor: Perhaps, but for me, I find the unknown quality incredibly potent. An "Unknown Woman" becomes a vessel. Was this for her family? An aspiring actress perhaps? This portrait gives no firm answer! We know so little! She almost could be anyone and nobody simultaneously. Isn't it frustrating! And delicious! Curator: It is the very elusiveness of her story which brings depth to my interpretation. A late nineteenth-century woman, very likely corseted and constrained, but with an innate desire for agency. It makes me want to know all that would be typically repressed. Who does she love? What does she read? Editor: Indeed. But consider what is visible: the adornment, and even the carefully composed hair. To me, that reveals the sitter's conscious co-creation of self. In the collaborative relationship between photographer and sitter, the true story exists. Not only her history, but the creation of a projected 'ideal' for her time. It asks a great question; How complicit are we in creating images of ourselves, even when so many barriers exist? Curator: Those kinds of complex dynamics— the relationship between social forces and the creation of personal identity—make works like this infinitely engaging. Editor: For me it comes down to her story, waiting for some inventive mind to liberate it and share it anew. A reminder: look deeper; look sideways and feel her, decades later.