Portret van twee kinderen met een poppenwagen met pop c. 1881 - 1903

Curator: This gelatin-silver print, dating from around 1881-1903, captures a moment frozen in time: “Portret van twee kinderen met een poppenwagen met pop.” It’s unsigned but attributed to the studio of Max Cosman, in Amsterdam. Editor: My first impression is one of slight melancholy. The sepia tones contribute, certainly, but it’s more than that – the children’s solemn expressions, their formal dress…there's an air of seriousness about the staged composition. Curator: I agree. The formality, particularly, speaks volumes about the culture of childhood at the time. Consider the gendering at play – the older child holding the doll's pram seems posed, almost reluctant, performing expected behaviours in the domestic space, while the other baby looks stoic, seated and passive. It highlights the performed nature of gender, doesn't it? Editor: It certainly does. I’m also intrigued by the studio setting. Look at the textured rug, the chair, and the backdrop. The staging reveals the constructed nature of photographic portraiture and highlights the collaborative labor of portrait production. Curator: Exactly. And think about access. Photographs at the time were becoming more widespread but still symbolized a specific kind of access for the emerging middle classes to create lasting, yet artificial, family histories and records. What sort of image of the family did this reflect or seek to promote, and for whom? Editor: Right. The carefully chosen props become commodities that serve as markers of their family’s social position and perhaps even aspirations. Curator: And within this constructed setting, the photograph arguably highlights the ways in which societal expectations about gender and class were consciously molded at a very young age, so deeply embedded that these children carry them with remarkable precision and ease, as their clothing is, well-produced in that image. Editor: Absolutely. Thinking about the process of creating a gelatin silver print… the layers of craft and labour that contributed to the material object further underscores its significance, reflecting both a personal and broader socioeconomic framework. Curator: It's a striking image to examine how ideas were reproduced and performed in families, literally imprinted upon the faces and bodies of its future leaders. Editor: Yes, and it reminds us of the intricate ways social meanings and historical conditions are materialized. A potent piece.