Portret van een meisje zittend aan tafel 1864 - 1879

This portrait of a girl sitting at a table was created by Leonard de Koningh, likely in the mid-19th century, using photography. The daguerreotype, and other early photographic processes, required a complex understanding of chemistry and optics, combining scientific precision with an artistic eye. The resulting image, as we see here, is both delicate and exacting. The ambrotype photograph, like other early forms of photography, was celebrated as a triumph of scientific ingenuity. It democratized portraiture, and coincided with the rise of consumer culture. In contrast to painting, photography offered a relatively quick and affordable way to capture likenesses, reflecting changing social values. Consider how the photographer’s labor, combined with the sitter’s patience, produced a precious object that captured a fleeting moment in time. It is a window into both the subject’s world, and the technological landscape of the 19th century.