Portret van een onbekende vrouw 1890 - 1906

Editor: Here we have Willem Gerhardus Kuijer's "Portret van een onbekende vrouw," made sometime between 1890 and 1906. It's a photograph held at the Rijksmuseum. I'm struck by the sitter's gaze. It's direct, almost challenging, and softened by the antique quality of the image. What do you see in this piece? Curator: What a fascinating slice of the past. I love how the sepia tones lend it this ghostly, dreamlike quality, as if we're glimpsing someone through time itself. Look closely – doesn't she appear both present and strangely distant, caught between the rigid formality of the portrait style, a time when portraiture by way of photograph had just begun, and a desire for something more soulful? Editor: Yes, exactly! There's something intimate about it despite the formality, it's as if there is a little smile ready to pop out, and perhaps she doesn't know what this machine does. It looks like early advertising photos from my hometown in the 80s. But you call it portraiture, it does seem more free than most classic portraits though? Curator: True. It reminds me of some of those old family photos tucked away in dusty albums, their subjects anonymous yet evocative, each telling a story only hinted at. She seems just moments from being ready, doesn't she? The muted colors bring such an intriguing tension to her visage, doesn't it, as she poses? Almost reluctant. Editor: I can see that. And that look gives it a story we almost know. I've learned so much more to look for with photography, it's not as plain and open as I thought! Curator: Absolutely, I feel I could sit and imagine stories of her past forever, thanks!