Portret van een vrouw met hoed en een man met hoed in de hand 1887 - 1898

Richard Kameke made this photograph, "Portrait of a Woman with Hat and a Man with Hat in Hand," at an unknown date, but likely in the 1890s, given the sitters' attire and the artist's dates. The image captures a man and woman, likely a married couple, in formal dress, their gaze fixed on the viewer. Photography, at this time, became a powerful tool for constructing and reinforcing social norms. Commissioning a portrait was a privilege of the middle and upper classes, with the formal attire acting as visual signifiers of status and respectability. The woman's elaborate hat and the man's suit are carefully chosen to project a specific image. As historians, we can use archives of fashion, etiquette manuals, and social histories to better understand the cultural values and power structures that inform photographs like this. The image isn't simply a record, but a carefully constructed representation of self within a specific social context.