Portret van een onbekende vrouw before 1901

This small-scale portrait of an unknown woman was made by William Buckingham Dyer sometime between 1860 and 1931. I find myself wondering about the conditions in which it came into being. I can imagine Dyer experimenting with sepia tones, trying to capture the light just so, to convey something about her inner life. The portrait is so modest, you know? The woman’s gaze is averted, but there’s an air of quiet confidence about her. What was she thinking? What did she feel when Dyer asked her to pose? There’s a conversation happening here about the nature of identity, representation, and the relationship between artist and sitter. It makes me think about the history of portraiture and all the artists who have grappled with the challenge of capturing a likeness, of revealing something about the human condition. It’s ongoing, this need for exchange, and I feel it pushing me, too.