Portret van een baby 1870 - 1900

This is a small, undated portrait of a baby by K. Weber. It invites us to consider the cultural practice of memorializing infancy through photography. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, infant mortality rates were high, and photographs like these often served as precious keepsakes, embodying both love and the awareness of fragility. The baby, dressed in white, reclines on a ruffled cushion, the very picture of innocence and purity, conforming to conventional representations of children at the time. The image is formally posed, yet there’s an undeniable intimacy. The focus is on the baby’s gaze, capturing a moment of serenity and perhaps curiosity. This small photograph is a poignant artifact. It reminds us of the universal hope and vulnerability associated with new life, as well as the unique historical context that shaped the ways in which families commemorated their loved ones.