Portret van een onbekende zittende vrouw 1868 - 1900

Curator: The quietude in this photographic portrait is immediately striking. Editor: Yes, there's a stillness. She looks posed and dignified but weary. Is it one of Weesing's works? The tone gives the sense that it dates back to somewhere between 1868 and 1900. Curator: Indeed. What we have here is "Portret van een onbekende zittende vrouw" or "Portrait of an unknown seated woman", believed to have been taken by Hermanus Jodocus Weesing during that period. The use of photography, especially in portraiture at this time, signaled a significant shift. It democratized image production to some degree. Editor: Interesting that it is genre painting in photography! Looking closely, her dark dress with button closures has these symbolic adornments, which were typical of that era to highlight the details that made that time distinct in appearance, although perhaps not by choice. Her solemn expression is, shall we say, iconic! There's also a quiet resistance emanating from the subjects in photos like these. Curator: Very astute observation! Photographic portraiture served multiple roles, but this raises issues around access. The photograph gave access for more people to capture likenesses. Her clothing suggests modesty, maybe from a specific religious sect. Do you believe the image is simply of one type of society? What is visually and immediately striking can become so nuanced as more facts are available. Editor: Certainly. These portraits allowed the rising middle class to display its members. But one thing that still mystifies me is, in my professional opinion, the hands are always so rigid in photographic portraits of that time period! How much was a studio visit in those days for one family photo, which, like her hand position, may appear stiff by today’s standards but are actually very important from a symbolic point of view. Curator: The cost factor likely reinforced the importance of a serious, almost austere, presentation of the figure, cementing notions of a newly emerging aspirational bourgeois. Thank you; these details all reinforce one another. Editor: Thank you! It’s fascinating to reflect on these portraits that are much more than their appearance.