Portret van een onbekende vrouw 1862 - 1869

This portrait of an unknown woman was created with photography by Delehaye & Sluyts in Antwerp. The invention of photography in the 19th Century democratized portraiture. While painting had been the domain of the wealthy, photography allowed a broader population to participate in visual representation. The woman's dress and pose place her within a particular social milieu, but one no longer restricted to the aristocracy. The studio backdrop and carefully arranged props speak to the commercial aspect of photography at this time. Studios such as Delehaye & Sluyts offered standardized settings and poses. This would have allowed for a degree of self-fashioning, while still adhering to the conventions of bourgeois portraiture. To fully understand this image, we need to consider the economic structures that allowed for the rise of commercial photography. It also helps to consider the social aspirations that might have motivated someone to have their portrait taken. These kinds of questions can be answered through a study of photographic history, material culture, and social history.