Portret van een staande vrouw met hoed en handschoenen bij een tafel 1890 - 1920

Leopold Jacqmain captured this full-length portrait of a standing woman with a hat and gloves near a table, using a gelatin silver print. Jacqmain was active during a time when photography was increasingly accessible, yet portraiture maintained its significance as a marker of social status. This image offers a glimpse into the life of a woman, likely from the upper middle class, during the late 19th or early 20th century. The woman’s attire, from the elaborate hat to the gloves, speaks volumes about the sartorial expectations and social codes of the time. What does it mean to perform femininity within the confines of these expectations? While the photograph appears straightforward, it prompts questions about representation, identity, and the gaze. The portrait maintains a somewhat traditional representation of women, but it subtly hints at the changing roles of women in society, as they began to navigate the constraints of tradition with emerging opportunities for self-expression.