Portret van een onbekende vrouw 1913

This is a portrait of an unknown woman by Arie M.A. Susan & Co, a photography studio in The Hague, Netherlands. The photograph, with its soft focus and muted tones, reflects a particular cultural moment. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, photography became increasingly accessible, leading to a boom in portraiture. Studios like Susan & Co catered to a growing middle class eager to participate in modern forms of visual representation. The woman's attire, while simple, speaks to a certain social standing, reflecting the fashion and values of the time. What can we learn from a photograph of someone whose name we don't know? We can still explore it as a historical artifact, researching the studio that produced it, the fashions of the time, and the broader social trends that made such images possible. Only then, can we begin to understand its deeper cultural significance.