Portret van een vrouw 1890 - 1920

This photograph was made by H.C. de Graaff, sometime between the late 19th and early 20th century. You can see the sepia tones are fading towards the edges of the image, making the woman emerge like a ghost from the past. I imagine De Graff carefully choosing the moment to press the shutter, capturing this woman’s likeness for posterity. The creamy whites of her blouse, the subtle ruffles at her shoulders, and the serious gaze fixed directly at the camera, what was she thinking? There’s a formal, almost painterly quality to the composition; it reminds me of Whistler's portraits. The texture of the photograph itself, worn with age, adds another layer of depth to the piece. You get the sense that Graff and Whistler were in an ongoing conversation, exchanging ideas about form, light, and the human figure across the decades. It’s like looking into a mirror reflecting back at the history of portraiture.