Portret van een meisje 1888 - 1894

This is a portrait of a girl created with photography by Jacques Daniël Rijk. During the late 19th century, photography became more accessible, yet portraiture retained an element of formality and status. Consider the girl in the photograph. She is captured in a moment of composed stillness. Her gaze is directed slightly off-camera, perhaps indicative of the photographer's direction, but it also invites speculation about her thoughts and aspirations. What does she see? What does she hope for? The portrait is small, like a token, a keepsake. It raises questions about childhood, representation, and memory. Who was this girl, and what was her life like in the Netherlands during this period? The photograph allows us to reflect on the lives of ordinary people, girls and women, who are so often absent from the historical record.