Portret van een onbekende vrouw achter een stoel met een waaier in de hand before 1896

E. Gaillard created this portrait of an unknown woman, using a printing technique called heliotype. During the late 19th century, portraiture moved from the exclusive domain of painting into photography. This artwork is particularly interesting because it uses a printing process to create an image that resembles a photograph, potentially blurring the lines between artistic mediums. Consider the cultural context of the period: photography was becoming increasingly popular, challenging traditional notions of art and representation. This image makes meaning through its composition, the woman’s dress, and the chair with a fan, which were all carefully arranged to create a sense of elegance and sophistication. The role of the historian is to understand the image in its time, to look at how the image participates in social and institutional structures. Archival resources can help to understand the social and cultural forces at play in the art world.