Groepsportret met moeder en twee kinderen 1897 - 1907

Peter Clausing made this photograph of a mother and two children at the turn of the twentieth century, likely in the Netherlands. The image reflects the increasing cultural importance of the nuclear family, but its stiff formality reminds us of the self-consciousness involved in early photography. Studio portraits like this one were important in shaping ideals of family and motherhood. The way the subjects are carefully posed and dressed speaks to the values that were esteemed by the Dutch middle class, like propriety and upward mobility. The children’s garments also offer insight into gendered expectations. Considered as social history, this image tells us much about the aspirations of ordinary people at a key moment of social change. As historians, we can turn to sources like newspapers, magazines, and family archives to interpret such photographs more fully. Art matters because it captures the flux of evolving societies.