Portret van een meisje met medaillon 1873 - 1900

Curator: Looking at this gelatin-silver print from between 1873 and 1900, titled "Portret van een meisje met medaillon", I'm struck by its quiet dignity. Editor: I feel it too, that somber tone. She looks so self-contained, almost unnervingly mature for someone so young. The fading tones lend it such a nostalgic air. Curator: Absolutely. It's a very straightforward portrait, not overly embellished, really letting the sitter's presence take center stage. We know the photograph was created by Arno Kersten, though frustratingly little more information survives, aside from her slightly enigmatic title of 'meisje met medaillon'. Editor: Which is so evocative but… vague! What sort of social position do you think a photographic portrait indicated back then? Especially one as carefully staged as this must have been. Curator: Well, in the late 19th century, photography was becoming increasingly accessible, though a professional portrait was still often a mark of some level of social standing. It represented a commitment of resources to capture and preserve an image. The clothing worn suggests a certain degree of comfort. A large, statement brooch like hers can signal societal place, maybe familial or inherited. Editor: Do you think, perhaps, having her portrait taken would almost serve to ‘solidify’ her status as ‘coming of age’? The gravity with which these early portraits present people seems to be at odds with our ‘snap-happy’ age…! Curator: It does present her as almost burdened by duty. And the popularity of the medium meant that galleries and studios sprung up in nearly every urban area. This, in turn, meant access, not only to imagery, but also the projection of aspiration. And in capturing oneself, or one's offspring at this early moment in adulthood… they perhaps aimed at entering this matrix of power and identity formation. Editor: That's a great insight. It makes me think of all the unseen narratives hidden within these photographs, all these 'meisjes met medaillon', all striving to take control over destiny through a single photograph. Curator: Precisely, we can never fully grasp these individuals, and I quite like it that way, don't you? Editor: I agree, there's a captivating power to that veiled anonymity.