Portret van Jan de Wilde, 10 maanden oud Possibly 1892 - 1898

Carel Eduard Westerborg created this photograph of Jan de Wilde, who was 10 months old. Westerborg was a contemporary of the second generation of photographers in the Netherlands. Think about the gaze of this baby. In the 19th century, portraiture, especially of children, was a statement of class and social status. These images often followed strict conventions, representing the subjects as idealised versions of themselves. In this photo, Jan is carefully posed on an ornate chair. He is dressed in a pristine white dress, his bare feet hardly touching the patterned rug. There's a palpable desire to portray the child in a manner that reflects well on the family’s standing. Consider how the photographer's choices in composition, lighting, and props contribute to the construction of identity. What does it mean to represent childhood in this way? What kind of expectations were placed on this baby? The image offers a window into the complex interplay of identity, class, and representation in the late 19th century.