Portret van Anna Gratia Asser en een onbekend meisje in toneelkostuum 1856

Eduard Isaac Asser made this photographic print of Anna Gratia Asser and an unknown girl in theatrical costume. It resides in the Rijksmuseum. Considered in the context of the Netherlands at this time, this image speaks volumes about the social function of theater. Anna Gratia and her friend, who is unfortunately unknown to us, are dressed in costume, presumably for a play. It would be interesting to know where they performed and before what kind of audience. The world of the theater was one of the few places where gender roles could be blurred, and class hierarchies interrogated. Notice how the unknown girl wears what looks like male attire, challenging the rigid norms of the day. We might ask what kind of family and institutional structures supported such performances. To explore these questions further, one could delve into theater archives and family records of the time. By uncovering such historical contexts, we might be able to better understand the meaning of the picture and its potential subversions.