Portret van een rouw met gevlochten haren 1856 - 1876

This portrait of a woman with braided hair was made by Ch. Verbeke-Schodts at an unknown date. It is a photograph, a relatively new medium at the time, that democratized portraiture. Before photography, portraits were the domain of the wealthy, requiring the labor of a skilled painter. This image, however, makes the genre accessible to a broader social class. While the subject’s dress and hairstyle still speak to a degree of affluence, the photograph itself represents a shift in how images were produced and consumed. The process of photography, with its chemical reactions and mechanical apparatus, stands in stark contrast to the slow, deliberate work of painting. It embodies the increasing industrialization of image-making, mirroring the broader societal changes of the 19th century. In this context, even a seemingly straightforward portrait becomes a document of technological advancement and social transformation.