Portret van een zittende vrouw met kind op schoot 1861 - 1883

Editor: Here we have Edgar Drewett's "Portret van een zittende vrouw met kind op schoot", a photograph taken sometime between 1861 and 1883. There's a real solemnity to the woman's expression, and a formality that strikes me as very Victorian. What do you make of this photograph? Curator: It's a captivating slice of history, isn't it? When I look at this, I see more than just a portrait. It’s a conversation across time. I wonder what the story is there? Is it an adoring mother, or a strict nanny following orders? It makes me feel so inquisitive. I love the light falling just so, almost theatrically on their faces. There’s a stark contrast in the way the woman seems weighed down, and the child seems to brim with potential – like a flower bud, ready to blossom. What do you think this contrast evokes? Editor: I guess it reflects the weight of societal expectations placed on women during that period? It seems quite different to motherhood nowadays! Curator: Exactly! Perhaps, it's also a meditation on time and fleeting beauty? A memento mori tucked inside a family album. These old photographs always pull at the heartstrings – a reminder that every face, every pose, carries its own untold story. Editor: This has completely changed the way I look at this photograph; what I initially read as sadness may also be a complex meditation on beauty and loss, frozen in time. Curator: And perhaps the very act of questioning unlocks its secrets, even for a moment.