Portret van een onbekende vrouw 1897 - 1909

Jannes Faber made this portrait of an unknown woman – it’s a photograph, a delicate sepia print. It captures a moment, a fleeting expression, and makes me wonder about the process. I imagine the studio, the anticipation. There is a whole social theater in portraiture. In a way, the subject performs herself and the artist is her witness. The sepia tone gives it a faded, dreamlike quality, but the woman’s gaze is direct, almost challenging. I wonder if Faber knew her, if he was trying to capture something beyond her physical appearance. Maybe he wanted to make her look more serious or more beautiful. It reminds me of the work of early photographers like Julia Margaret Cameron, who used soft focus and unconventional techniques to create portraits with a distinctly artistic sensibility. It's amazing how one artist inspires another across time and place, each adding their unique vision to the conversation. Ultimately, it’s a testament to the power of art to transcend time and connect us with the past, with each other.