Portret van een vrouw 1860 - 1890

Ch. Brandebourg fils created this portrait of a woman using photography, a relatively new medium that would change the social landscape. The image is framed, much like an oil painting would have been at the time, but what does it mean to have access to an affordable portrait? For centuries, portraiture was the domain of the wealthy. Oil paintings were expensive to commission. The rise of photography democratized portraiture. Middle class families now had the ability to record their likenesses, and preserve them in a way that only the rich could previously afford. Who was this woman? What was her life like? Unfortunately we don't know, but with more research into the Brandebourg family archives, as well as genealogical information, it might be possible to shed some light on her life, and tell her story.