Portret van twee meisjes 1910

Curator: Looking at this early 20th-century gelatin-silver print just evokes this powerful sense of introspection for me. Editor: It's almost unnervingly still, isn’t it? A quiet formality hangs in the air. Curator: Indeed. This is titled "Portret van twee meisjes", dating back to 1910 and it resides here at the Rijksmuseum. This portrait provides a glimpse into the world of young girls in the early twentieth century and social status. We might find resonance through gender dynamics. The rigid poses, they echo certain constraints, don’t you think? Editor: Absolutely. Those dresses, those meticulously tied shoes, it's all part of the constructed symbolism of girlhood at the time, I think. One is dressed in the Sailor's suite, indicating access to leisurely seafaring activities for her family, an excitingly "new" style from a traditional culture for both genders. What do you suppose it means, given both these women's dresses are distinctly different and clearly indicate socioeconomic levels? Curator: What you call formality I find in it both intimacy and isolation. It’s such an interplay. Do you think about the setting? The parlor... all suggest controlled gentility... that connects these two different socioeconomic individuals. But one looks more like the girl that would call that couch their home more than the other, a guest. Editor: I agree! Note how high the backdrop sits as well, which also points towards social isolation; like sitting underneath the crown moulding in an old home and seeing all the dark emptiness above your head... I mean, photography can't always translate real lived emotions or feelings, and is, on its own, is actually incapable of "intimacy" with its medium. This distance gives it a quality to reveal, so it's almost a type of "quieting the noise" in what they reveal... so is this their real face? Are we actually looking at that through this distance? Curator: These sorts of formal sittings were really about presentation. Status, respectability and power… How fascinating it is to consider the impact this had, not only at the time, but how we've created, and maintained and passed down our collective cultural standards around visual aesthetics. It's something to think about, seeing history come to life through this work of art. Editor: For sure. It’s interesting to explore, how portraits like these are the basis from which a family passes down legacy. The objects and choices can seem meaningless at the time but over the course of one or two generations become invaluable artifacts for remembrance.