Vrouw in een strandstoel op het strand van Scheveningen before 1894

This photograph by Hendrik Herman van den Berg captures a woman in a beach chair at Scheveningen. The beach chair is a fascinating motif. Enclosing the sitter, it provides a space of both protection and display, a personal niche within the vastness of the beach. This act of enclosure reminds me of the canopied thrones of medieval royalty, which reappears in portraiture of elites to subtly convey status. The way the beach chairs line the coast also calls to mind rows of confessionals, each holding private moments. Consider how the act of sitting itself can be read; seated figures in art history often suggest authority, contemplation, or repose. Here, however, the setting shifts these connotations. The beach, traditionally a space of freedom and exposure, is here tamed, made domestic. The beach chair marks a boundary, a point of control amidst nature's flux. This photograph captures a moment of social evolution, where leisure and nature are mediated through objects of human design.