Portret van een onbekend kind met een bloemenmand 1892 - 1906

This portrait of an unknown child with a flower basket was captured by Machiel Hendricus Laddé, a Dutch photographer working in Amsterdam. It’s a silver gelatin print, a process that gained popularity in the late 19th century, prized for its sharp detail and tonal range. Photography in this era was rapidly evolving, becoming more accessible, but still retaining a certain formality and technical expertise. Laddé, like many photographers of his time, was running a business. The work was a commercial endeavor, balancing artistic expression with the demands of portraiture, which was often driven by social aspirations. Consider the child’s attire, the carefully arranged flowers, and the overall composition. These elements speak to a rising middle class with disposable income, keen to capture their status through photographic portraiture. Laddé was not just a photographer, but also a businessman embedded in the social fabric of Amsterdam. The image, itself, represents the confluence of art, commerce, and social identity.