Portret van een onbekende vrouw 1890 - 1918

This portrait of an unknown woman was made by J. Siewers & Zoon. I wonder about the sitter in this photograph, and about her relationship to the photographer. The portrait feels so stiff and formal. I think about the pose, her dress, and the lace headdress. I wonder if she chose them, or the photographer? Was the studio warm or cold? Was it calm? Was the photographer kind? Did he make jokes to help her relax? I imagine the light was very bright in the studio as he set up the shot. It feels like such a monumental occasion, like she might have been self-conscious or nervous. I wonder what happened to her after? Did she like the picture? Who was she? We’ll never know, but it's fun to think about it. This is what portraiture does. It captures a moment in time, of a person we might otherwise have never known.