Portret van een vrouw met klederdrachtmuts, zittend aan een tafel 1857 - 1898

This is a portrait by Pieter Siewers of a woman with a traditional bonnet, captured in a photograph of modest dimensions. The photograph plays with the geometric patterns of the subject's clothing: horizontal and vertical lines intersect to form the grid of her dress. The photograph's formal composition arranges the subject in a seated position, with a certain symmetry in posture and dress that provides a balanced, but not static, image. The artist creates meaning through the use of light and shadow, drawing the eye to the textures of the fabrics and the woman's facial features. The muted tones and the soft gradations of light contribute to the photograph’s pensive mood, typical of portraiture from this period. The photograph challenges established notions of portraiture by focusing on the materiality of the cultural attire while maintaining the woman's stoic expression. This tension between representation and cultural identity invites ongoing interpretation.