Portret van een onbekend meisje met pop c. 1870 - 1890

Curator: Here at the Rijksmuseum, we have a striking portrait, simply titled "Portrait of an Unknown Girl with Doll," created sometime between 1870 and 1890 by Woodbury & Page. Editor: The photograph has a certain haunting quality to it, wouldn’t you agree? There is a strange sense of gravity on the girl's face. I can't tell if it’s sweet or melancholy. Curator: I find that reading interesting considering the history surrounding portraiture, in the 19th century, particularly photography, which became more accessible, democratized the idea of immortalization through imagery, didn't it? And that certainly changed the meaning. This access and desire impacted the cultural understanding of individual and family identity, particularly among emerging middle classes. Editor: Absolutely, this portrait does reveal the layers of meaning we tend to associate with girlhood and innocence through the symbols. Look at the ferns acting as backdrop – evoking a romantic notion of nature – paired with the doll she holds so gingerly. The collection of dolls surrounding her, though perhaps intended to convey playfulness, feel a little still, inert. They don’t really conjure joyful imagery. It is interesting how these symbolic touches point to childhood, but with a twist. Curator: That's very astute. The composition reinforces a visual hierarchy common in formal portraiture of the period. But, there's also a theatrical element – her simple white dress and dark boots, the carefully placed ferns that attempt a bucolic vision. These photographs offer a visual dialogue that mirrors socio-cultural conventions but simultaneously challenges and reveals the artifice of those constructs. Editor: Yes, there's a calculated artificiality in that romantic vision of childhood. In those symbols – especially her dolls - that seems suspended between joy and some type of quiet restraint. Curator: Photography's evolution also had a tremendous effect on visual art and documentation practices. With photography taking up portraiture’s duties, visual artists had to redefine their practice as we entered the 20th century, of course. Editor: Thinking about that moment when art practices shifted and changed makes this piece especially poignant. The dolls may signal transition and the complexities layered into seemingly straightforward symbols. It gives me shivers. Curator: It certainly encourages consideration about childhood, and photography’s impact on portraiture and how our views shift across time and cultures. Editor: Exactly. What starts as a picture unfolds into an opening to memory and cultural construction, doesn’t it?