Portret van een onbekende man en een onbekende vrouw, aangeduid als B. Mulder en C. Tolbach 1885 - 1915

This photographic portrait of a man and a woman was made by Willem Oldenkamp in the late 19th or early 20th century. The image itself is an albumen print, a process that involves coating paper with egg white to create a glossy surface, before being contact printed from a negative. The sepia tone is due to the chemical development of the image, a process still in its relative infancy at the time. This technique, though seemingly simple to our modern eyes, required specialized knowledge and equipment. Beyond the technical skill required, the image also speaks volumes about the social context of the time. Photography was becoming increasingly accessible to the middle classes, but it still required a certain level of financial investment to commission a portrait, as well as to own the garments worn in this image. The very act of creating and possessing such an image was thus a statement about identity, class, and aspiration.