Portret van een onbekende vrouw before 1901

Ferdinand Leys made this portrait of an unknown woman using photography, a relatively new medium in its time. Photography's impact on portraiture was revolutionary. No longer was it necessary to commission a painter to capture a likeness. Instead, this technology put portraiture in the reach of the emerging middle class. The photograph would be mounted in books, like this one. We can see the way the photo has been carefully composed, with a high tonal range. This suggests a high degree of technical mastery. The very act of printing a photograph involves labor, skill, and the careful handling of materials. These labor intensive processes are often overlooked. Looking closely at the photograph, it challenges traditional notions of art. The photograph invites us to consider the material and social conditions of its making. By doing so, we appreciate the democratic potential that photography offered.