Portret van een jonge vrouw 1891 - 1905

Curator: This is "Portret van een jonge vrouw," or "Portrait of a Young Woman," a gelatin-silver print, probably crafted between 1891 and 1905 by H.J. Tollens. Editor: It strikes me as so intimate, despite the formal presentation. The tonality and tight cropping, make her seem very accessible. There's a vulnerability, despite what would likely have been quite a stilted process. Curator: Absolutely, the materiality contributes greatly to that feeling. Think about the chemistry, the slow development, the crafting of the gelatin emulsion. These early photographic processes weren't automated, demanding significant control from the photographer. The printing process itself would have been a tactile, labour intensive affair. It really collapses boundaries between art and craft, wouldn't you say? Editor: Certainly, and placing it within its historical context emphasizes this further. The burgeoning middle class had a new access to portraiture. It democratized the traditional oil painting. But still retained social stratification – it would only be the rising bourgeois that could afford these images of themselves. And it really speaks to the era's conventions around gender and display. Curator: Looking at it from that perspective, how would it be received by its contemporary audience? Editor: Well, this would have been an extremely public display of status for the subject and the photographer – this particular example may be one page from a larger photo album. To have their status and identity memorialized like this solidified social standing, an exercise in institution building at the domestic level. Curator: Thinking of this portrait as a form of cultural consumption adds so many layers to how we perceive it today. Thanks for providing that historical context! Editor: My pleasure. It is pieces like this that makes us rethink not just what art *is*, but *who* gets to participate in it, and under what circumstances.