Portret van een jonge vrouw met pijpenkrullen c. 1879

This is a portrait of a young woman with curled hair made by Walter Damry. This photo and others like it were often included in albums. During this period, photography offered a seemingly objective method to capture and classify human subjects. This was a time of burgeoning social sciences, as people tried to find out more about the self and others. The formal pose and dress are typical of the time it was made. Her high-necked dress and elaborate hairstyle also speak to the social conventions of the time. The portrait, while seemingly simple, is laden with social meaning about class, gender, and identity. As historians, we might look into fashion trends, social norms, and the history of photography itself to better understand this image and the world it reflects. Only through this can we see that meaning is contingent on social and institutional context.