Portret van een vrouw 1880 - 1908

This photograph, by Carl Wilhelm Bauer, captures a woman with a gaze directed beyond us, encased in the formal rigidity of its time. The high-collared dress, a Victorian emblem of modesty, speaks volumes. Collars like these are visual constraints; similar to the tightly bound feet in ancient China, symbolizing not just status, but also a controlled, almost suppressed feminine ideal. We see echoes of this motif in later works—the constricted necks in certain portraits by Schiele or Klimt, where clothing becomes a psychological barrier, reflecting inner turmoil. Consider how such garments, meant to project propriety, also hint at a repressed sensuality, a tension between societal expectation and individual desire. This push and pull, deeply embedded in the subconscious, continues to manifest in fashion and art, a recurring dialogue between concealment and revelation. Though styles change, the underlying psychological currents remain.