Portret van een zittend meisje met witte klederdrachtmuts en oorijzers 1860 - 1880

This photograph, “Portret van een zittend meisje met witte klederdrachtmuts en oorijzers,” was made by F.D. van Rosmalen & Zoon. The photographic portrait was a popular format in the Netherlands for capturing likenesses of individuals, and this example offers a glimpse into the cultural and social values of the time, despite the work not having a definitive date. The sitter’s traditional clothing reflects a sense of regional or cultural identity. The elaborate chair suggests a degree of affluence, with its ornamented details alluding to social status and material comfort. Understanding the historical context of photography in the Netherlands, particularly the development and spread of photographic studios, would help us understand the social role of images like this. We can ask: who commissioned them, and why? Where did people display them? Historians of photography use sources like studio directories, local archives, and collections of family photographs to understand the cultural work that photographs performed.