Portret van een vrouw, zittend in een stoel, met kinderen 1857 - 1908

This photograph of a woman with children was made by Woodbury & Page. Such studio portraits were popular in the 19th century, particularly among the rising middle classes of Europe and its colonies. As photography became more accessible, it offered a way to record and perform social status, as it had been for the aristocracy with painted portraits. The clothing and the setting would have been carefully chosen to convey respectability and prosperity. The woman’s elaborate dress, the children’s neat attire, and the formal pose all speak to the values of the time. But there is also a sense of intimacy and familial connection. What was the experience of women in the Dutch East Indies, where Woodbury & Page operated? Was it different from women in the Netherlands? We can use archives, diaries, and other historical sources to research the social and cultural context in which this photograph was made, and to understand its significance as a representation of family, class, and identity.