Vijf foto's van mensen uit de omgeving van Loentje Onnen, onder andere Johanna Uhlenbeck, Lilly en Tilly Possibly 1910 - 1911

Editor: Here we have "Vijf foto's van mensen uit de omgeving van Loentje Onnen, onder andere Johanna Uhlenbeck, Lilly en Tilly," likely from 1910-1911, consisting of albumen prints within an album. The soft focus lends this piece an intimate, almost dreamlike quality, wouldn't you agree? What historical context can you offer for how Onnen captured her subjects? Curator: It's key to understand that these images were created during a time when Pictorialism was at its peak. These women, Johanna, Lilly and Tilly, appear within their domestic spaces, reinforcing early twentieth century notions of gendered sphere. How do you see that these visual choices engage with social ideas and expectations? Editor: I see that. There is a kind of staging and performance happening that feels revealing of its era. These women may have had agency, but only within specific spaces. I wonder about Onnen’s perspective, as a female photographer documenting other women. Curator: Exactly! It begs the question, what stories do these photographs tell beyond their surface? In your view, how might gender dynamics and social class interplay within Onnen's work and what might be revealed, and concealed? Editor: That's something I hadn't considered. Onnen's work provides glimpses of a time and place, a view into lives that might otherwise be unexamined. The act of selecting, framing, and including those particular women already seems like a strong intervention. Curator: Precisely. Through this lens, we can challenge traditional historical narratives and engage more thoughtfully with the power dynamics inherent in image-making and the way photographic works serve as critical sites for social commentary. What could further inquiry tell us about women during that period? Editor: It’s clear how Onnen used her position as photographer to subtly push against social norms, while, documenting her community, as her sitters played both a real and symbolic role in the composition of social class during her time. Thank you! Curator: Indeed. It has been my pleasure.