Portret van een meisje, staand bij een zuil 1873 - 1886

Max Büttinghausen made this small photograph of a girl, standing by a pillar, in the Netherlands. We can see here how the relatively new medium of photography was being used in ways that mimicked the traditions of painting. The girl's formal pose and placement next to a classical pillar, a symbol of stability and refinement, elevates the status of the sitter. This style of portraiture would have been available to a particular class of people. The girl's clothing suggests a degree of wealth and status. Büttinghausen worked as a photographer in a period when the Netherlands was undergoing significant social and economic changes. The role of the middle class was becoming increasingly important, and photography played a role in defining and representing this class. To fully understand this image, we might want to look at the history of photography in the Netherlands, as well as the social and economic conditions that shaped the lives of people at that time. It’s important to remember that this image, like all works of art, is a product of its time and place.