Portret van een vrouw c. 1860 - 1880

This small photograph shows a woman, and was made by Charles Reutlinger. In this portrait, the flowers held by the woman are more than mere decoration; they are laden with symbolism. Flowers, since antiquity, have been used to represent a myriad of concepts, from love and beauty to the fleeting nature of life itself. The arrangement here suggests the artifice of constructed femininity, akin to Botticelli's Venus, surrounded by flora signifying her divine birth and eternal beauty. Yet, the context of a 19th-century photograph introduces a modern twist. The flowers are now not just symbolic but also serve as a social signifier. Ultimately, the flowers are a visual echo of the enduring human desire to capture and hold onto beauty, even as it slips through our fingers like sand. They are not just a motif but a mirror reflecting our collective yearning for permanence in an impermanent world, a theme that continues to resonate across time and culture.