Portret van twee staande vrouwen 1877 - 1890

Albert Greiner made this portrait of two standing women, using photographic paper, at an unknown date. In this photograph we can see how the relatively new technology of photography was being used to create formal portraits, a practice until then restricted to painting. The two women are dressed in their best clothes and strike a dignified pose, much as they would have if sitting for a painter. The small table and neutral backdrop are typical of photographic studios of the time. What is particularly interesting here is the intimacy conveyed by the holding of hands. What was the social status and relationship between these women? Are they sisters? Or is this a same-sex partnership, coded in the visual language of the time? Understanding the full meaning of this image would require careful research into archives and social histories that might shed light on the sitters' lives and the cultural norms of the time.