Portret van een onbekende vrouw 1897

Editor: We’re looking at a gelatin-silver print from 1897, "Portret van een onbekende vrouw", or "Portrait of an Unknown Woman" by Kalmer Goudsmit. It has such a haunting quality, doesn’t it? There’s a directness to her gaze. What do you make of it? Curator: Haunting is a wonderful word for it! I’m immediately struck by the contrast between the sitter's severe expression and the soft, almost dreamlike quality of the photograph. Goudsmit really captured a sense of inner life here, wouldn’t you agree? What do you think her story is? Editor: I imagine she was quite reserved and very proper. Was portrait photography common during that time? Curator: Extremely popular! Photography was becoming increasingly accessible. Yet, posing for a portrait still had a weightiness to it. It’s like freezing a moment for eternity, don’t you think? A performance, perhaps. Goudsmit has softened the edges, so to speak, though. Making it more intimate than a formal royal portrait for example. Look at the delicate lace at her neck and the jewelry. What do they tell us? Editor: Perhaps about her social standing? That this was an important occasion? I never considered it a performance! I was caught up in thinking that she must have been just…serious. Curator: Absolutely. And it's so tempting to project our own feelings onto her, isn't it? Ultimately, she remains unknowable, which, in my view, enhances the image's enduring mystery and power. Editor: It does make you think! I guess that’s the magic of portraits in general – an attempt to capture the essence of a person in a single shot, even if it’s always just an interpretation. Thank you, that was amazing! Curator: My pleasure! Perhaps we'll never truly know the woman in the photograph, but the photograph allows us to meet and imagine her anyway.