Portret van een meisje, zittend op een stoel met baby op schoot 1859 - 1874

This is a photograph by Jules Géruzet titled 'Portret van een meisje, zittend op een stoel met baby op schoot', whose direct translation is 'Portrait of a girl sitting on a chair with baby on her lap'. Taken during a time when photography was becoming more accessible, this image captures a moment in the lives of two young girls. The elder, likely just past childhood herself, holds the baby with a care that speaks volumes about the roles women and girls occupied in the 19th century. It invites us to consider the untold stories of these young women. Their class, their future prospects, and how their identities were being shaped by the expectations of their time. The photograph is a quiet testament to the domestic sphere and the labor, both physical and emotional, that went on within it. This is a moment frozen in time that reflects broader societal dynamics and the intimate realities of those who lived them.