Portret van een onbekende vrouw in hangmat, gedragen door twee mannen 1880 - 1910

Manuel de Olim Perestrello made this photograph of an unknown woman in a hammock, carried by two men, using an unknown process. The photograph’s composition is striking, not just because of the scene it depicts, but for how it visualizes power and status through form. The horizontal lines of the hammock and the pole contrast with the verticality of the men and the surrounding trees, creating a visual hierarchy. The woman, positioned centrally and reclined, occupies a passive role, while the men, standing upright at the edges, actively support her. This arrangement speaks volumes about the dynamics of labor and leisure, highlighting the contrast between those who are carried and those who carry. The play of light and shadow across the scene, particularly on the white fabrics and the men’s uniforms, underscores the stark social contrasts at play, revealing the complexities and contradictions of its time.