25 portretten van Miss May Marton, Norma Whalley, de Levy zussen en Birdie Sutherland before 1897

This collection of portraits of Miss May Marton, Norma Whalley, the Levy sisters, and Miss Birdie Sutherland was made at an unknown date by an anonymous artist, using photography. The collection presents different portraits of women, likely actresses or performers, which offers insight into the popular culture and idealised images of women at the time. The women depicted here, while seemingly individualized, were products of a society that often reduced women to their physical appearance and roles as entertainers. How did the subjects feel being captured and presented in this way? This work offers an emotional glimpse into the lives of women who were both celebrated and constrained by the social norms of their era. This collection reflects the societal fascination with female performers, while highlighting the complex negotiation of identity and representation within a specific historical and cultural context.