Portret van een onbekende vrouw 1892 - 1911

Editor: So, here we have a portrait, "Portret van een onbekende vrouw", taken sometime between 1892 and 1911 by Franz Eiffert. It’s a photograph, fairly small. I’m immediately drawn to the texture – it looks almost faded, like an echo of someone. What’s your take? Curator: The albumen print process itself is central to my reading. Think about the labor involved: coating the paper, exposing the image, the darkroom work, all for a single portrait. It transforms a commodity into something seemingly precious. Who could afford such a luxury? Editor: Right, it implies a certain level of societal access. Was photography still relatively exclusive at this time? Curator: Precisely. It wasn't the mass-produced snapshot we know today. These portraits functioned within a system of class and status. Note also the framing and presentation. It’s meant to evoke fine art. We are compelled to examine the ways in which the photographic processes reinforced and shaped societal values and norms, through portraiture. What do you observe about her dress and hair? Editor: Her clothing is difficult to see, but the neckline is high. The updo seems deliberate, careful even. It tells me about constraints, but also choices that this woman had to express herself. Curator: Consider too, that albumen printing uses egg whites; it is itself a form of material consumption linked to other socio-economic structures. This medium serves less to showcase "the person" and serves more to show "a type of person". Editor: That's interesting, I didn't initially see it as less about the individual. Now I see the portrait operating almost as a carefully manufactured representation of ideals. Curator: Exactly. Examining the materiality pulls the image away from mere surface and reveals complex structures that are happening underneath. Editor: Well, I've definitely got a new angle to explore in this photograph!