Portret van een vrouw 1872 - 1879

Editor: Here we have Hendrik Anthonie Karel Ringler's "Portret van een vrouw," a gelatin-silver print dating roughly from 1872 to 1879. There’s something so simple, almost stark about it, but her gaze feels quite direct. What stands out to you in this portrait? Curator: Well, first off, the quiet dignity! It reminds me how revolutionary photography was then. Suddenly, ordinary folks could leave a trace, a captured moment. Look closely – you see that little brooch? It’s like a tiny window into her life, her status, her story. Does it strike you as staged, or more of a candid moment caught on film, so to speak? Editor: Staged, I think. The oval framing gives it a formality. But her expression feels genuine, or at least, not overly posed. It’s like she’s reluctantly agreed to sit for the portrait. Curator: Exactly! It’s that tension that makes it interesting, don't you think? And the lighting is remarkable, coming from somewhere off to the side, hitting just one cheek, then fading asymmetrically across the eyes and collar. The passage of time makes it quite special to observe these images, to hold these images from someone's real life in your head for a few moments. That someone with a face can disappear so completely is, to my eyes, the most beautiful quality. Editor: I agree. Seeing such an early photograph connects us to the past in a very real way. Curator: Precisely! I'll have to remember the beautiful strangeness next time I stare at one of my selfies.