Portret van een staande vrouw 1862 - 1869

This portrait of a standing woman was made by Ch. Binger & Co. using photographic techniques. The photograph’s material qualities offer us a compelling view into the sitter's social context. Her clothes are particularly telling: the dark velvet jacket and patterned dress reflect the growing availability of textiles during this period, driven by industrial production. The creation of such clothing involved a complex global network of raw material extraction, manufacturing, and distribution, with laborers often working in harsh conditions. Consider the labor embedded in her dress. It speaks volumes about the wearer's status and access to consumer goods within a rapidly changing economic landscape. It also suggests she had the financial means to engage with new technologies of image-making, a signifier of middle-class identity. In this way, the photograph is more than a simple portrait. It's a cultural artifact, reflecting the intersection of personal identity, material culture, and the wider social forces of labor and consumption.