Portret van een jonge vrouw met ketting 1870 - 1888

Carl August Ludwig Reinhardt made this photograph of a young woman with a necklace sometime in the late 19th century. The image presents an interesting challenge to us. What does it mean to portray a young woman in this way? Photographs like this one were increasingly common in Europe at this time, so it’s worth asking what role they played in middle-class society. Perhaps this image was a kind of calling card for the sitter, to introduce her to potential suitors? We might wonder, too, about the institutional history of photography itself, and the way that technical constraints of the new medium shaped the composition. As historians, we can consult archives to discover more about the Reinhardt’s life and studio practice. Perhaps we could discover more about the sitter. By situating the image within its historical context, we gain a richer understanding of its meaning.