Portret van een staand meisje met hoed en parasol 1901 - 1909

This portrait of a standing girl with a hat and parasol was created by Nicolaas Broekhuizen using a photographic process, sometime between the late 19th and early 20th century. It makes me think about the staging of photography, its ability to create an image, and how the girl is made to pose in front of a constructed backdrop. Was she told to stand in a certain way? There is a sense of melancholia in the work, in the girl's face, and maybe it’s in the grey tones. But, I also find it moving and mysterious, in the same way that many portraits of young girls are - like the paintings of Paula Modersohn-Becker. It makes me think, did she like having her picture taken? Does it capture her essence?