Portret van een onbekende vrouw met mand met vermoedelijk wasgoed, in klederdracht van Zandvoort, Noord-Holland 1860 - 1890

Andries Jager made this small photograph, “Portret van een onbekende vrouw met mand met vermoedelijk wasgoed, in klederdracht van Zandvoort, Noord-Holland”, with an unknown process. The photograph captures an anonymous woman in traditional dress, seated next to a woven basket presumably filled with laundry. Jager’s composition employs a straightforward, almost taxonomic approach, positioning his subject centrally against a muted backdrop. This choice emphasizes the materiality of her clothing. The textures within the frame—the rough weave of the basket, the striped fabric of her skirt, and the soft suggestion of textiles—are captured with remarkable clarity. The image is charged with semiotic meaning, given that the woman's attire and domestic task situate her firmly within the codes of Dutch rural life of the time. The photograph's small scale invites close inspection, further emphasizing the textural elements and material conditions of its subject. While seemingly a simple portrait, the image opens onto broader questions about representation, labor, and the construction of identity within 19th-century Dutch society.