Portretten 1890 - 1900

This album of carte-de-visite photographs involves several processes - photographic production and printing, cutting, pasting, and collecting. The black and white images, mounted on card stock, are themselves evidence of industrial processes that democratized portraiture in the late 19th century. Consider how the photographer captured these diverse subjects: a theatrical scene, women in traditional Dutch costumes, children, and a dignitary. Each image, originally made with light and chemistry, now evokes a specific time and place. The varying shapes, sizes, and arrangements within the album point to the collector's choices, reflecting a personal or social narrative constructed through arrangement. Such albums were a popular form of personal record-keeping, akin to a scrapbook or even a proto-Instagram feed. This particular example blurs the line between personal and commercial display, with some images promoting brands. The act of collecting, arranging, and displaying these photographs speaks to the human desire to create and preserve memories, repurposing mass-produced items into something deeply personal. So, you see, even everyday albums can be viewed as complex tapestries of material, memory, and social practice.