Portret van Elisabeth zu Wied in Roemeense klederdracht before 1889

This photographic portrait of Elisabeth zu Wied in Romanian folk costume was made by an anonymous artist. It depicts the Queen consort of Romania, also known as Carmen Sylva, posing with examples of her literary and artistic output. The image creates meaning through visual codes, cultural references, and historical associations. It was made in Romania, a country that was then undergoing a period of modernization and nation-building. As queen, Elisabeth actively participated in the construction of a national cultural identity, promoting Romanian traditions and crafts through her writings and patronage of the arts. This portrait served to promote her image as a benevolent and cultured monarch, in tune with the cultural traditions of her adopted homeland. Historians can use sources such as royal archives, newspapers, and literary publications to contextualize this image within the broader history of Romanian national identity. Art, like this portrait, is always contingent on the social and institutional context in which it is created.