Portret van Maartje Haan 1890 - 1918

This mounted photograph captures Maartje Haan, maybe sometime in the late 19th century. There's a stark simplicity to it, almost like a drawing with light. Look at how the dark fabric of her dress merges into the shadows, setting off her face. The tones are limited, muted, and the texture seems smooth, almost velvety. I'm interested in the way the dress feels both flat and richly detailed at the same time. Maybe it’s the way the light glances off the ruffles at her neck, catching the small white brooch. That tiny point of brightness seems to carry the weight of her presence in the frame. There's a stillness and a formality to the image, which brings to mind the work of early portrait photographers like Julia Margaret Cameron, who were also figuring out how to capture something of a person’s soul through this new medium. It's a reminder that every portrait, whether painted or photographed, is a conversation between the artist, the subject, and time itself.