Portret van een vrouw, staand bij een stoel 1873 - 1892

François Hermans made this small portrait of a woman sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century using photographic techniques that were relatively new at the time. Photography was revolutionary because it mechanized image-making; it made portraiture accessible to a wider range of people than ever before, even if getting your picture taken was still a special occasion. Here, the sitter is stiffly posed, formally dressed in a dark, tailored outfit, and positioned next to an ornate chair. This mise-en-scène reflects the values of bourgeois society, but more than that, photography itself became an expression of the times. While this photograph certainly has aesthetic value, the real significance of the work lies in understanding the social and economic forces that made such an image possible and popular. It is a reminder of the democratizing potential of technology and the changing relationship between art, labor, and representation.