Portret van een vrouw 1870 - 1891

Lambertus Martinus Delboy captured this ‘Portrait of a Woman’ with photography, a new medium, during a time of great transformation. Her brooch and elaborate updo act as symbols of the burgeoning Victorian middle class, eager to assert its status. Consider the intricate knot of her hair. Its echoes reverberate across centuries. We see it again, a similar coiffure in Roman portraiture, each curl meticulously arranged, or even in depictions of goddesses like Venus, albeit with a more sensuous flair. This impulse to adorn, to elevate through styling, speaks to a primal desire—to control, to present an idealized self. It's a cultural thread winding its way through time, reappearing in different forms, each telling a story of its era, of its values and aspirations. The portrait is more than an image; it's a silent dialogue across time.