Portret van een onbekende vrouw c. 1865 - 1900

This is an albumen print portrait of an unknown woman by Hermanus Jodocus Weesing, made in Amsterdam in the late 19th century. Photography during this time was rapidly evolving from an exclusive, expensive process to something far more accessible to the middle classes. The carte-de-visite, of which this is an example, was a hugely popular format. These small portraits were relatively inexpensive to produce and purchase, becoming a kind of social currency. People collected and exchanged them, often displaying them in albums in their homes. As such, photographic studios sprung up everywhere to meet demand. In its way, this simple portrait captures the democratizing influence of photography and the changing social landscape of the Netherlands in the late 1800s. By researching studio records, census data, and social histories, we can further understand the place of photography within Dutch society.