Portret van een baby in een fauteuil 1881 - 1887

Jacques Chits created this ‘Portret van een baby in een fauteuil’ without a specified date using photography. During Chits’ time, the burgeoning middle class saw portraiture as a way to assert social status. This photograph, with its formal composition, captures an intimate yet constructed moment. The baby, adorned in a pristine white dress and seated in a plush armchair, is framed by the trappings of bourgeois comfort. What does it mean to perform identity at such a tender age? The photograph invites us to consider the historical weight of representation and its emotional impact. The child’s expression, unreadable and enigmatic, prompts reflection on innocence, privilege, and the complex narratives embedded in the photographic medium. Photographs such as this one provide a window into a world where identity and social expectation intertwine, revealing the silent yet powerful forces that shape our understanding of self and society.