Portret van een vrouw, aangeduid als Mme. Tessin 1864 - 1886

Émile Fürst, a photographer active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, captured this portrait of a woman, thought to be Mme. Tessin. Fashioned in a small, oval format, the photograph reflects the era's fascination with portraiture as a means of documenting identity and social status. During this period photography served as both a personal keepsake and a public declaration of self. The sitter's demure pose and attire speaks volumes about the expectations placed on women of her time. Her gaze, though soft, hints at an inner world, a sense of selfhood that exists beyond the constraints of societal norms. There is a tension here, in that the photograph is a study in restraint and yet, it captures a very particular individual. It is a dance between public presentation and private identity, a performance that many women of the time had to master. We are left to wonder about the untold stories and struggles behind that gentle gaze. The photograph invites us to consider the complex interplay between identity, representation, and the unspoken narratives of women in history.