Portret van een jonge vrouw Possibly 1882 - 1900

Editor: We’re looking at "Portret van een jonge vrouw" which translates to Portrait of a Young Woman, made sometime between 1882 and 1900, and likely created by Carel Frederik Cordes, using gelatin-silver and albumen printing. It's captivating in its simplicity; the woman’s gaze is so direct, so unadorned. What story do you think this portrait tells? Curator: Ah, yes. It’s like gazing into a mirror reflecting a bygone era. Those photographic processes, gelatin-silver and albumen, imbued images with a certain warmth, a sepia kiss, don't you think? It always makes me wonder about the sitter - what were her dreams? Did she have any idea this image would exist so many years later? Editor: I hadn't thought of that; she probably hadn’t imagined it being viewed by so many. What strikes me is how posed the whole image is, like she’s consciously modelling. Curator: Exactly! It was such a performative act back then, wasn’t it? Sitting still, perhaps uncomfortably so, in the hopes of capturing some essential truth of yourself. Do you notice the formality of her dress, juxtaposed with the gentle roundness of her face? It speaks of both social constraint and individual spirit, don't you feel? Editor: Now that you point it out, I see that contrast. It’s as if she’s peering out from behind the mask of her proper clothes. Curator: Indeed. It's like a dance between visibility and concealment. Looking at this, it really prompts a lot of questions, doesn't it? What would we reveal, and what would we conceal if we knew our image would live on for centuries? Editor: That’s definitely changed my perspective. Thanks for those great thoughts. Curator: My pleasure! Now I can keep looking at it through *your* perspective!