Portret van een zittende vrouw met open boek in de hand 1880 - 1890

Curator: Let's talk about this evocative piece from around 1880-1890, "Portret van een zittende vrouw met open boek in de hand" attributed to Antoni Verryck-Fleetwood. It’s a photograph. What’s your immediate take? Editor: A stillness. She seems quite serious, doesn't she? Poised, maybe a touch weary. The light is so soft, it creates this dreamlike quality. The book softens the impression of stiffness though... makes her more thoughtful. Curator: I agree about the softness of light, which comes in part from the materials used in early photography but also from choices about staging, given the woman's pose, costume and the placement of props. Think of photography’s emergence during this period – it was as much about technology and chemistry as it was about image making or documenting reality, what does the medium signify? Editor: The rise of photography...It feels like capturing a moment to pause and cherish, the slow exposure making each portrait something of a performance, right? I wonder what was going through her mind when it was taken? Does she wish the picture recorded her differently, or hoped something particular would be understood by those who look at it in the future, by me? It’s a really nice image. Curator: Precisely. Now consider the composition – the patterned rug, the small table, a vase holding flowers – arranged within this almost domestic setting. These were often studio props, shaping how sitters wished to be perceived and what their social status might mean through what they valued materially. Think too about the labour and cost of acquiring such an image during this period. It was not cheap. Editor: Right, photography was luxury. She exudes such composure, framed by flowers. It adds a touch of gentle romanticism in such a seemingly pragmatic new format... She's lovely. I think people probably viewed her loveliness with great emotion back then. You have really given me a lot to think about with regards to what a photo like this tells us in more general terms. Thank you.