Gezin Onnen in een tuin bij een woonhuis 1911 - 1912

This photographic collage, ‘Family Onnen in a Garden Near a House,’ by Carolina Frederika Onnen, likely dates from the early 20th century. The sepia-toned snapshots offer a glimpse into the domestic sphere of a Dutch family, likely of some social standing, enjoying leisure time in a garden setting. These intimate scenes, while seemingly simple, provide rich insights into the social codes of the time. The clothing, the leisurely poses, and the setting all speak to a particular lifestyle afforded by economic privilege. The very act of assembling these images into a carefully arranged album page points to the importance of family and the desire to preserve and present a specific image of domestic tranquility. To fully understand this work, we might delve into the history of photography and its role in shaping social memory. We could look at the visual language of family portraiture and how it reflects and reinforces social norms. By considering these broader contexts, we can begin to understand the power of images to shape our understanding of the past.