Portret van een onbekende vrouw 1870 - 1880

This is a photographic portrait of an unknown woman, made by Julius Ortgies Jr. in Bremen. The photograph is a calling card, a popular format in the 19th century, made through the relatively new technologies of photography that transformed portraiture. Photography automated image making, offering new levels of realism that painting struggled to achieve, but it also relied on skilled labor. Photographers needed chemical expertise and a keen eye for composition, developing an aesthetic unique to the photographic process. These images democratized portraiture, and it became accessible to a wider range of social classes, changing how people saw themselves and wanted to be seen. It's important to remember that photography also creates new industries, from manufacturing photographic plates to running studios. By considering both the technical process and the social context, we gain a richer understanding of this small but significant portrait.