Portret van een baby, aangeduid als Brigite 1878

Charles D’Hoy captured this portrait, titled 'Portret van een baby, aangeduid als Brigite', using photography, a fairly recent invention at the time. Photography in the 19th century was a chemical process as much as an artistic one, involving coating plates with light-sensitive emulsions and carefully controlling exposure times. The final image, a small, sepia-toned print, has a unique material presence, capturing a moment in time with a sense of solemnity. Consider the social context: photography democratized portraiture, making it accessible to a wider segment of the population beyond the elite who could afford painted portraits. It reflects the rise of industrial capitalism, where technological advancements transformed not only artistic practices, but also cultural values of remembrance. This photograph invites us to appreciate the blend of science, art, and social change inherent in early photographic processes, blurring the lines between artistic expression and industrial production.