Portret van een zittende vrouw met baby op schoot 1870 - 1890

This photograph, titled "Portret van een zittende vrouw met baby op schoot," was created by Alviad. Though undated, this portrait encapsulates the late 19th-century conventions of depicting women and children. In a time where gender roles were rigidly defined, the photograph stages the mother as the primary caregiver, her gaze steady and poised. Yet, there's a tension in her eyes, a hint of the complexities and constraints that defined women's lives during this era. The baby, held securely, is also presented with a seriousness that transcends innocence. The photograph, while seemingly a simple family portrait, is loaded with the socio-political expectations placed on women. It speaks to the performance of motherhood, the burdens and the beauties, and how identity is shaped within such a context. What does it mean to perform motherhood for the camera? What does it mean to have that performance saved for posterity?