Portret van een meisje met hoed 1880 - 1906

Curator: Ah, look at this sweet portrait! We’re standing in front of "Portret van een meisje met hoed," which roughly translates to "Portrait of a Girl with Hat," created by Max Büttinghausen sometime between 1880 and 1906. It’s part of the Rijksmuseum's collection. Editor: What strikes me immediately is the sepia tone, a faded warmth, almost as if looking back at a simpler time. What material are we seeing here? Curator: From what I can tell, this appears to be a charcoal drawing with watercolor on toned paper— perhaps aged paper, judging by the slight yellowing that gives the print character. Max seems to play around with light, focusing on soft highlights that create such a tender feel. The hat... almost swallows her! Editor: It’s the interplay of the delicate hat material with the charcoal strokes defining the girl's face that captivates me. Were these types of commissioned portraits accessible to everyone, or just the emerging bourgeoisie eager to be on par with royalty? The use of charcoal hints at something almost mass produced... Curator: That's interesting. Considering the timeline and materials used, it probably catered to the upper middle classes as you suspect.. Though charcoal is accessible, portraits, regardless of medium, represented status. You know, I see a certain resilience in her eyes that the medium softens; I find that contrast beautiful. It is something in the mouth - such maturity for her probable age. Editor: Absolutely! This reminds me of debates surrounding "high art" and "craft." Here we have what some might dismiss as simple portraiture, yet it is the intersection of affordable materials with skilled labor, creating a product that preserves memory. Curator: True. It challenges notions of artistic value. Max was preserving a specific moment for perhaps a specific person, but he’s unintentionally given us this time capsule to ponder larger societal structures! Editor: Indeed. We get to think of class, the rising of industry that enabled production, while simply beholding the charming image of a girl in a hat. I can still ponder the question of just how itchy that bonnet probably was... Curator: Agreed. Now that is where I see the magic - thinking that Max was painting this sweet itchy face.