Portret van Wilhelmina van Zijll de Jong in oriëntalistisch kostuum 1930 - 1935

This is a vintage photograph of Wilhelmina van Zijll de Jong dressed in an orientalist costume. It's anonymous, so we don't know who made it. I think I know this person. Just kidding! But I can imagine what it might have been like to create. The neutral tones create a dreamlike quality, with the textures and details of the clothing and accessories standing out. The subject's gaze is direct, making the viewer consider her role in this staged setting. In some ways, the subject becomes a canvas, adorned with layers of fabric and ornamentation. There’s a tension between the subject’s personality and the constructed image. In that sense, it's not unlike painting – a place where identity is negotiated, questioned, and transformed. So, while we might not know who the photographer was, we can appreciate how, like all artists, they were also involved in the same continuous exchange of ideas across time.