Portret van een staande vrouw met hoed en mof 1900 - 1920

Louis Devolder made this photograph of a standing woman with a hat and muff, but the date is unknown. This image provides insight into the social conventions and class structures of the time, particularly concerning the representation of women. The woman's attire, from her elaborate hat to the fur muff, signifies wealth and status. Photography in this period was becoming more accessible, yet formal portraits like this were still largely the domain of the middle and upper classes. The composition, with the woman posed next to a faux-natural element, suggests a self-conscious performance of social identity, a common trope in nineteenth-century portraiture. To fully understand this image, one might delve into fashion history, social studies of photography, and genealogical records. The meaning of the image is therefore contingent on an understanding of the social, economic, and institutional contexts in which it was made and viewed.