Twee vrouwen met parasol op het strand before 1894

Hendrik Herman van den Berg made this photo, titled 'Two women with parasol on the beach', using photography. Imagine yourself in the late 19th century, a time when social norms dictated women's roles and appearances. Van den Berg’s photograph captures two women on a beach, parasols in hand, their clothing hinting at middle-class status. These parasols, symbols of protection from the sun, also represent the constraints placed on women, who were expected to maintain a certain image of purity and delicacy. The beach, often associated with freedom and leisure, becomes a stage where social expectations are performed. The women's attire, while fashionable, restricts their movement and embodies the era's ideals of femininity. Van den Berg's composition invites us to reflect on the complex interplay between freedom and constraint, identity, and representation. This image offers a glimpse into the lives of women navigating a society defined by rigid gender roles, capturing a moment of both leisure and subtle confinement.