Portret van een kind, staand op een stoel 1894

This small photograph of a child standing on a chair was made by Heinrich Wilhelm Wollrabe, a photographer active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Though undated, the image speaks volumes about the social conventions of its time. Consider the formal pose, the carefully arranged clothing, and the use of a studio prop. These elements tell us about the rise of photography as a middle-class pursuit, a way to document family life and project a certain image of respectability. The child's sailor suit, popular at the time, reflects the growing influence of maritime culture and perhaps aspirations to social mobility. The photograph’s presence in a museum like the Rijksmuseum also speaks to the changing status of photography as an art form worthy of institutional recognition. To understand this image better, we might consult historical archives, fashion catalogues, and studies of photographic practices. In doing so we can understand how artworks like this reflect the social structures of their time.