Portret van Wilhelmina, koningin der Nederlanden 1905 - 1910

Editor: This is a photograph titled "Portret van Wilhelmina, koningin der Nederlanden," created between 1905 and 1910 by Guy de Coral & Co. The gelatin-silver print presents Queen Wilhelmina in profile, and there's something very formal and…distant about it, wouldn't you agree? What symbols are most prominent to you in this piece? Curator: Indeed. The photograph captures more than just a likeness; it's an assertion of power and continuity. Note the pearls, both adorning her hair and as a necklace. Throughout history, pearls have been associated with purity, wisdom, and even tears—fitting symbols for a queen, wouldn't you say? But consider also the way she is presented in profile. Why not full face? Editor: Perhaps to convey a sense of classical dignity? Like the portraits of Roman emperors on coins? Curator: Precisely. This is not just Wilhelmina, but the embodiment of Dutch royalty. And look closer—what does the angle of her face suggest in relation to the light? How are we, the viewers, positioned in relation to her? Editor: I see what you mean; she seems almost untouchable. Her face is turned away from a direct gaze, as though looking towards the future. Curator: A future, moreover, for which she is destined to bear a symbolic weight, carefully constructed and consciously perpetuated. Does that shift how you see it now? Editor: It does. The photograph is less a depiction of an individual and more a careful presentation of the monarchy itself. Thank you; I'm starting to think differently about royal portraiture now!