Portret van een onbekende vrouw before 1901

This portrait of an unknown woman was made by Ch. Gaspard. Though the date remains unknown, we can begin to locate it in its social and cultural context through close observation. The image’s visual codes, cultural references, and historical associations point towards France. The fact that we find this image bound within the pages of what appears to be a literary magazine can tell us a lot about the institutional context that made it and kept it. Likely created in the late 19th or early 20th century, it exemplifies the fashion for the aesthetic of the fin-de-siècle. The woman’s dark, flowing hair and averted gaze suggest the kind of melancholy beauty promoted by symbolist artists and writers. To understand this image better, we can begin by researching the illustrated magazine in which it was published, as well as looking into the artistic and literary circles of the period. Art is contingent on social and institutional context and historical research brings it to life.