Meisje voor de spiegel met open fotoalbum 1870 - 1880

Godfried de Jong made this photograph of a girl in front of a mirror with an open photo album in the late 19th century. During this era, images of women were often confined to roles emphasizing beauty, domesticity, and virtue. Here, the girl stands before a mirror, a symbol of vanity and self-reflection, seemingly caught in a moment of self-admiration, perhaps even kissing her own reflection. In the Victorian era, such a display of self-love could be viewed with suspicion, challenging the era's emphasis on modesty. The photo album beside her suggests a connection to memory and identity, hinting that her sense of self is also shaped by relationships with others. De Jong's photograph invites us to consider the complexities of girlhood, identity formation, and the ways in which photography can both reflect and shape our understanding of ourselves. It questions the boundaries of innocence and self-awareness, while also echoing the societal pressures that shaped women's lives.