Portret van een staand meisje met hoed en een boek in de hand 1892 - 1909

This is a mounted cabinet photograph, “Portret van een staand meisje met hoed en een boek in de hand” by Gustave Narcisse, dating from around the turn of the century. The sepia tones create a nostalgic tableau, emphasizing the formality of the subject's pose and attire. The girl stands perpendicular to the picture plane and is framed by a faux balcony and painted backdrop. The linear structure of the balcony and the verticality of the trees behind her provide a structured setting, whilst her book and hat are cultural markers. Despite its formal composition, the photograph hints at something less obvious. The hat and book she holds, while signifying education and status, also speak to the rigid social expectations placed upon young women at the time. Narcisse’s photograph can therefore be read as a commentary on representation, using the formal elements of portraiture to explore the tensions between surface and underlying realities.