Portret van een onbekende vrouw, aangeduid als Bouwman Wiskia Boerma 1884 - 1896

This sepia photograph captures an unknown woman, believed to be Bouwman Wiskia Boerma, through the lens of Friedrich Julius von Kolkow. Note the brooch at her throat—a seemingly simple ornament, yet it speaks volumes. The circular brooch, often containing a miniature portrait or lock of hair, echoes the ancient Roman tradition of wearing medallions with portraits of ancestors. This act, intended to keep the past alive, shows up in funerary portraits, and later in royal portraiture. The custom of wearing lockets, and this brooch, speaks to our human desire to transcend time, attempting to hold onto the past while also moving towards the future. A psychological manifestation of the human need to deal with loss and find continuity through generations. These motifs in portraits, like this one, weave a narrative of cultural continuity, appearing, fading, and reappearing. Each cycle carries forward, altered by the currents of history, yet bound by a shared human experience.