Portret van twee meisjes 1865 - 1874

Curator: Well, hello there. What an enchanting find. This albumen print, “Portret van twee meisjes” by the Gebroeders IJpma, likely taken between 1865 and 1874…it practically whispers stories of a bygone era. Editor: The overall mood is a curious one, isn’t it? There's something a bit haunting about these girls standing stiffly in their white dresses against this neutral backdrop, while at the same time, something feels profoundly touching. Curator: Haunting and touching! Yes, that's exactly it. Look closely - the textures captured are amazing and it seems so precious because everything must be absolutely still. Do you think their expressions feel a bit… solemn, perhaps? It brings a lump to my throat. Editor: Indeed. Considering the history of portraiture and photography's rise as a form of democratic image-making in the 19th century, there is a strong class dimension in those poses, and clothes. These portraits also need to be seen within an Imperial context where people tried to ‘document’ faces as proof of civilisation. What’s your opinion? Curator: A face can speak a thousand unspoken thoughts. Also, considering what it must have taken to prepare the image! Maybe there's simply gravity from sitting so very, very still while the whole operation unfolds. I imagine that being a bit tense. Now the photograph radiates something, what is that? Is it honesty? Editor: I think so. What the print communicates most powerfully, despite the possible colonial dimension, is a form of emotional accessibility for young white women which was uncommon at the time. It brings intimacy, though a slightly awkward one. These are faces full of suppressed expressions and controlled displays. I agree with you. I feel honesty. Curator: Such quiet resistance! Makes you wonder about their world, doesn't it? All that innocence and potential captured on such delicate medium… What happens next to those girls? Who were their models and what did that mean? I love it! It all feels suspended, just like this little fragment of time. Editor: Yes! Now I want to read stories about these kinds of characters and see them on stage as they disrupt every form of gender convention. It invites us to engage in dialogue that matters, which brings it to life, still, after more than a century. Curator: Indeed. The power of art… timeless and boundless!