Portret van een vrouw 1860 - 1890

Curator: The unyielding gaze is startling. Editor: Indeed. We are looking at a photograph, an albumen print, created sometime between 1860 and 1890. This "Portret van een Vrouw," held here at the Rijksmuseum, is credited to M.M. Couvee. Curator: The composition is utterly conventional for its time. A centered subject, captured from the chest up. What fascinates me is the almost tangible texture. The tones are muted, close together, creating an intense area of interest. It makes you ponder. Editor: This photographic style became increasingly accessible at this time to the upper middle classes. A portrait like this served to document, to promote an image of stability and decorum within that burgeoning social stratum. Curator: Note how the vest mimics the starkly lit triangle of the upper shirt. Editor: And such portraits began circulating and being collected at the family level, appearing within albums and, significantly, reinforcing the concepts of family genealogy. It helped construct the Victorian concepts of status. Curator: I find it beautiful the way it reflects this status, the strict arrangement that is at once a presentation and representation. A man looking straight ahead. No narrative tricks here; this is a direct record. The light reflects in the buttons and folds, adding depth, transforming the ordinary into something intriguing, and it’s something new with photography and how they create art and portraits, especially during this time. Editor: A window into the soul, through the lens of history. A brief encounter frozen in time, revealing much more than meets the eye at first. Curator: I find that fascinating in how much they didn't show. It’s thought provoking!