Portret van een kind, zittend in een stoel 1882 - 1920

Carel Frederik Cordes made this photograph of a child seated in a chair in the late 19th century. During this period, portraiture served as a testament to social standing and familial legacy, yet this image captures a different tone. The child is casually posed, almost reclining, which counters the era's rigid expectations of formal portraiture. The child’s gaze, averted yet engaging, complicates conventional representations of innocence and vulnerability. Instead, an alternative narrative emerges, one of nascent self-awareness and the quiet assertion of individual identity. Consider how gender and class intersect within this seemingly simple image, subtly shaping the child’s identity and future possibilities. It’s a window into a past that both defines and challenges our present understandings.