Portret van koningin Wilhelmina 1908

This is a portrait of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, created by Guy de Coral & Co. as a mounted photograph. Portraits like this served as powerful tools for constructing and disseminating carefully curated images of royalty. Consider Wilhelmina’s attire: the crown, pearls, and ermine all speak to established visual codes of monarchy and dynastic power. In the Netherlands, the House of Orange had long used portraiture to assert its legitimacy and cultivate a sense of national unity. Photographic portraits added a new dimension to this tradition. Photography’s perceived objectivity lent these images an air of authenticity, even as studios like Guy de Coral carefully staged and retouched them. The Dutch monarchy, like others in Europe, embraced photography as a modern medium for communicating its image to a wider public. Understanding this image fully requires exploring the archives of the Dutch Royal House and the history of photography studios in the Netherlands, as well as the ways in which ideas of monarchy, nationhood, and visual representation intertwined. Ultimately, the meaning of art lies in its rich social and institutional context.