Studioportret van een echtpaar gekleed in het zwart c. 1863 - 1866

Albert Greiner made this studio portrait of a couple dressed in black. It is a photograph now held at the Rijksmuseum. The photograph tells us something about the increasing professionalisation of photography in the late 19th century. It also speaks to the social aspirations of the middle classes, especially in their wish to emulate the customs of the aristocracy, who had previously been the only people to have their portraits made. The sobriety of the subjects, their sombre attire and the studio setting contribute to the formal tone of the picture, which is so different from the casual ‘snapshots’ we take today. The photograph is mounted on card, which would have helped to preserve it. Through the analysis of costume, photographic techniques, and by looking into the archives of photographic studios, we can learn much about the social and institutional contexts in which images like this were made and circulated.