Portret van twee jonge vrouwen leunend op een balustrade, waarvan één met boek in de hand 1875 - 1899

Editor: We are looking at a photograph by Jean Baptiste Feilner, dating somewhere between 1875 and 1899, called "Portret van twee jonge vrouwen leunend op een balustrade, waarvan één met boek in de hand"—or, Portrait of Two Young Women Leaning on a Balustrade, One Holding a Book. It feels very formal, almost like a tableau vivant. What stands out to you when you see this portrait? Curator: Oh, it throws me back! Doesn't it feel like stepping into a hushed parlor of a bygone era? I'm intrigued by the quiet confidence in their eyes, their very stillness. The details in their outfits really captivate me; each button and fold seems like a clue to a story we don't quite know. And what do you think of the fact that one is holding a book? What does the book signify here? Editor: Well, to me, the book suggests education, or maybe even intellectual curiosity. Perhaps it's a symbol of the kind of opportunities that were becoming available to women at the time? Curator: Exactly! And, let's think...how posed they are! The artificiality speaks volumes. It's not just a snapshot; it's a carefully constructed image, right? What’s being presented and what's being concealed, do you think? Is there any clue to what's going on behind the balustrade? Editor: It’s true. The composition really invites that kind of close reading, that speculation. I guess it makes sense that photography at that time was really different, slower than it is today. The way you brought out that element of deliberate artifice definitely makes me see it in a new light! Curator: I'm so glad. When I first look at a piece like this, I always feel like I’m looking in a mirror! I look forward to our next piece!