Portret van een vrouw in hooggesloten jurk 1887 - 1920

This photograph of a woman in a high-necked dress was made by Koene & Büttinghausen. I love the way the tones in this photograph seem to emerge, bit by bit, from the surface of the image. There’s something about the way her face is rendered, soft and precise, that feels very delicate. It’s a reminder that art is always a process of revealing and concealing. Think about the edges, where the woman's figure meets the light background – it's not a hard line, but a gentle fade, creating a sense of depth. I’m also drawn to the texture of the paper itself, the way it adds a layer of warmth to the image. There's a connection to the portraiture of Julia Margaret Cameron, with its own unique ways of seeing and representing the world. These portraits invite us to slow down, to look closely, and to find beauty in the subtle details.