Portret van een onbekende vrouw 1855 - 1885

This is a portrait of an unknown woman by Sanders van Rijn, printed on a carte de visite, a popular format in the 19th century. These small photographs, often collected in albums, were a product of the burgeoning industrialization of photography. The process involved coating a glass plate with light-sensitive chemicals, exposing it in a camera, and then using the negative to print multiple images onto paper. This process allowed for mass production, making portraits accessible to a wider segment of the population beyond the elite. The material qualities of the photograph—the sepia tone, the smooth surface of the paper, the thinness of the card—all speak to this industrial mode of production. It’s easy to forget the amount of labor involved, from the photographer to the factory workers producing the materials. Consider the social context: this seemingly simple object embodies the democratization of portraiture and the rise of consumer culture. Ultimately, this photograph reminds us that even the most everyday objects are embedded in complex systems of production and consumption, reflecting the social and economic forces of their time.