Portret van een onbekend meisje, vijftien jaar 1855 - 1885

This portrait of an unknown fifteen-year-old girl was made by Charles Boquet, using photography, a new medium that democratized portraiture. What is remarkable about this image, is the contrast between the relatively quick process of photography, versus the highly constructed outfit that the young girl is wearing. Her striped dress is gathered at the waist, with long sleeves and buttoned cuffs. The making of such a dress would have been labor-intensive, involving skills such as weaving the fabric, cutting the pattern, sewing the seams, and adding the details. Such craftsmanship was typically gendered, with women performing much of the sewing. Alongside the hand-made dress, the girl leans on an ornately carved chair. Its dark wood and woven seat suggest the input of yet another set of makers. The girl’s dress and chair are reminders of the many hours of labor required for their construction, reminding us of the contrast between slow making and mechanical image reproduction. This is a work to ponder the social significance imbued into the making of objects.