Portret van een meisje met bloem 1884 - 1910

This photograph, “Portret van een Meisje met Bloem”, was made by Johan Gerard Lubbers in the late 19th century. It is an albumen print, a process which was a mainstay of commercial photography at the time. The process involves coating paper with egg white and silver nitrate, making for a smooth surface on which a very detailed image could be rendered. The popularity of albumen prints speaks to photography's increasing accessibility in the late 19th century. Studios such as Lubbers's provided relatively affordable portraiture to a growing middle class eager to participate in visual culture. Note the girl’s dress, with its lace collar, and the flower she holds – the trappings of respectability, carefully arranged for posterity. While we might think of photography as purely a documentary medium, it's important to remember that these images were carefully crafted through material means. The subject, pose, and print would capture a moment in time and reflect social status.