Portret van Coba Roos als jong meisje 1879 - 1881

Editor: Here we have "Portret van Coba Roos als jong meisje," made sometime between 1879 and 1881 by Dirk Niekerk, a gelatin silver print. She has a remarkable expression. I wonder what she's thinking. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The first thing that strikes me is the utter stillness. Look at the tight clasp of her hands, the weight of those huge, knowing eyes… Niekerk has captured something both vulnerable and unsettling. There is a book under her hands. I imagine someone carefully arranging the props and posing her for this very serious occasion, but did they truly capture *her*? I wonder about the unspoken narratives simmering beneath the surface of this child. Doesn't she make you question those pristine, posed studio portraits from the 19th century? Editor: It really does make you wonder about all the stuff going on *inside* the little girl that nobody thought to ask about. Curator: Precisely. And beyond that, Niekerk's work almost seems to *mock* our need to neatly categorize things. It challenges us to move past the simple aesthetics and explore the emotional undertones and maybe even see something real and true about youth in a world run by grown-ups and their odd fascinations. Don’t you think? Editor: Absolutely. The supposed realism is a bit of a performance in itself, isn't it? I hadn’t thought of it that way before. It’s almost subversive. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure. Subversion, or a child's expression. Always good when an image continues to prompt further looking.