Familie van den Berg op terras in Baarn 1896

Hendrik Herman van den Berg’s photograph shows a family posed on a terrace in Baarn. Given the artist's lifespan, we can assume that it was made sometime in the early 20th century. Photography at this time offered a new means of picturing social relations. Here we see the visual codes of class on display: the cut of the suits, the neatness of the dresses, and the accoutrements of leisure like wicker chairs. Even the setting, the verdant terrace, speaks to a comfortable existence. The family seems to be trying to present themselves as part of a new, modern, and prosperous Dutch middle class. Family photographs like this are useful to historians because of what they reveal about the concerns and aspirations of ordinary people. By looking at family albums and other archival material, we can develop a better understanding of how social structures shape individual lives.