Portret van een onbekende vrouw 1867 - 1879

Kannemans & Zoon of Breda created this portrait of an unknown woman using the 19th-century photographic process. The image provides a window into the social conventions surrounding portraiture and the emerging role of photography in the Netherlands. The woman's formal attire and posed posture reflect the cultural norms of bourgeois representation. Seated and gazing confidently towards the camera, she signals the sitter’s economic status. Such conventions speak to photography’s institutional role as a technology of power, and the role of studios like Kannemans & Zoon in reproducing social hierarchies. To better understand this image, we might consult local archives and genealogical records. These sources could reveal the sitter’s identity and the social circles in which Kannemans & Zoon operated. In doing so, we can shed light on the ways in which images mediate our understanding of the past.