Portret van een zittend meisje 1860 - 1880

Willem Tinker captured this photograph of a seated girl sometime in the 19th century. It is a modest example of a carte-de-visite, a calling card. In the 1860s, photography studios exploded in popularity. These small portraits democratized the circulation of likenesses. The cartes-de-visite were often traded or collected in albums, announcing the sitter's social status through clothing, pose, and props. Here, the girl's dress and the carved chair suggest a bourgeois setting. Photography's emergence challenged traditional portraiture, raising questions about art's role in representation and memory. As historians, we can examine studio records, fashion trends, and social customs to understand the cultural significance of these images. The photograph isn't just a record, but a cultural artifact.