Portret van een vrouw met een ketting 1865 - 1979

This is a portrait of a woman with a necklace, made by Jan Goedeljee sometime in the 19th century. It’s a photograph, an early example of a technology that democratized portraiture. Before photography, having your likeness captured was a privilege reserved for the wealthy, commissioning paintings that took considerable time and skill. Photography changed all that. It involved a different kind of labor, one that was increasingly mechanized and accessible. Here, the material is a thin paper base, coated with light-sensitive chemicals. The process involved a precise understanding of optics and chemistry, but the result was relatively quick and reproducible. This portrait, with its simple composition and focus on the sitter’s face, speaks to the efficiency of the photographic process, and its emerging role in capturing and circulating images of everyday people. It reminds us of how new technologies shift the landscape of art and labor.