Portret van een vrouw 1856 - 1884

Valentine Blanchard made this portrait of a woman using the albumen print process, which was popular in Europe and the United States in the 19th century. Photographs like these were more affordable and accessible than painted portraits, so they played an important role in shifting social dynamics. The rise of photography changed who had access to portraiture, and how they were represented. In Victorian England, where Blanchard practiced, photography studios emerged as important social spaces. They were institutions where ideas about class, gender, and respectability were visualized and affirmed. Take note of the woman's restrained pose and clothing. As a historian, I see this image as part of a bigger story about cultural change and institutional power. Looking at photography archives and studio records can give us a deeper understanding of this artwork and the society that created it.