Portret van een zittende vrouw 1869

Hermanus Philippus Jacobus Schuiten captured this portrait of a seated woman, a modest photographic print, sometime in the mid-19th century. It’s tempting to see this simply as a neutral record, yet photography in the Netherlands at this time was finding its feet as both a commercial enterprise and an art form. The sitter's clothes reflect her social standing, and perhaps also the aspirations of the middle classes in a rapidly changing society. Photography studios were businesses, adapting to cultural and economic shifts by offering services to a wide range of clients. Schuiten's work, located in the Rijksmuseum, forms a fascinating archive for the cultural historian. By examining the social context and the institutional framework, we can start to see how photography helped shape a sense of identity.