Portret van Grietje Wester 1893 - 1900

This photograph of Grietje Wester was taken by Albert Kleintjes in Hoorn in the Netherlands. The sepia tone and the studio setting tells us that this is not just a candid shot but something more formal and posed. The visual codes of dress and adornment signal social position. Note Grietje’s elaborate lace bonnet, pearl necklace, and decorative brooch. All these communicate status and respectability. The photographic studio itself was also a social institution. Kleintjes’ signature printed on the card not only advertises his services but asserts his own status as a professional artist. The creation of this photograph must have been a collaboration between photographer and sitter, where both participate in the creation of a public image. How does the creation of these images reproduce social norms? Or how does it potentially challenge them? Researching historical archives like census records, local histories, and fashion plates might help us to learn more about this photograph and the lives of those who made it.