Studioportret van een zittende vrouw c. 1885 - 1900

This is a photograph by Edward Sharp, titled "Studio portrait of a seated woman.” Photography in the 19th century served an important social function. It allowed a wider range of people to have their image recorded. Before photography, this privilege belonged to the upper classes, who were able to commission painted portraits. The rise of photography democratized portraiture. The woman in the portrait is dressed in a dark, conservative dress. She sits formally in a studio setting with a book and classical columns in the background, projecting an image of respectability. But photographic portraits also reinforced social hierarchies. The sitter had to present themselves in a certain way. Women were expected to be demure and well-behaved. Sharp, as the photographer, also had power in this exchange. As an art historian, I’m interested in the power dynamics that are at play here. Looking at newspapers, magazines and the history of photography gives us a sense of the social expectations of the time. We can see how photography both reflected and shaped the way people saw themselves and each other.