Portret van een baby op een stoel 1890 - 1910

Editor: This is a gelatin silver print by Johann von Petz, called 'Portret van een baby op een stoel' or, ‘Portrait of a baby on a chair,’ dating from somewhere between 1890 and 1910. The baby is just... there, you know? Not posing or smiling, just sort of existing on this fancy chair. It's funny and slightly unsettling. What do you make of it? Curator: Unsettling is a brilliant word for it! It reminds me of those old family portraits where everyone looks deeply suspicious. There’s something profoundly still about this image, isn't there? And the texture, the way the light catches the fabric of the chair – it’s like looking into a sepia-toned dream. It almost feels intrusive, like we are voyeurs peeking into a private moment. Don’t you think so? Editor: Yeah, totally voyeuristic! Though it feels staged at the same time, right? What do you think about how formal and constructed it is? Curator: Absolutely constructed! Consider the setting, that ornate chair. It wasn't every day that babies were photographed like tiny aristocrats, perched on thrones. It's almost like the photographer is trying to elevate the status of the child, imbuing them with an air of importance, of destiny even. Do you think the stiff pose contributes to this sense of formality? Editor: Definitely! It almost makes you wonder what this baby ended up doing. Like, were they worthy of such a grand photographic introduction to the world? It kind of humanizes the past. Curator: It certainly does. Looking at this seemingly simple image opens a window into a different era, where even babies were immortalized with such seriousness. It makes me consider all the untold stories nestled within these forgotten portraits. Editor: Agreed! It’s fascinating how much you can read into one tiny photograph. Thanks!