Family Life at Pavia House in Zeist 1897 - 1898

This is a photograph called "Family Life at Pavia House in Zeist," made by Henry Pauw van Wieldrecht in the Netherlands, around the turn of the 20th century. Here we see three young women, likely sisters, posed on the steps of a grand house. The photograph provides us with a window into the domestic sphere of an upper-class Dutch family. During this time, photography was becoming more accessible, and was embraced by the middle and upper classes as a way to document their lives and project a certain image of themselves. The carefully arranged composition, the clothing of the sitters, and the setting all speak to the values and aspirations of this social group. What does the photograph convey about gender roles in that time? What does it convey about social class? To understand this image better, we might delve into the history of Dutch photography, the social customs of the time, and the lives of the Pauw van Wieldrecht family. Only then can we appreciate the full social meaning embedded in this photograph.