Groepsportret met bruidspaar Henriëtte Boelen en Jan Laverge omringd door gasten c. 1935 - 1937

Editor: Here we have a photograph, “Groepsportret met bruidspaar Henriëtte Boelen en Jan Laverge omringd door gasten,” by Nicolaas Schuitvlot, dated circa 1935-1937. It’s currently at the Rijksmuseum. There’s such formality, everyone dressed in their finest, and yet the sepia tone lends a real sense of history. What can you tell me about this work? Curator: It’s fascinating to consider how photographs like this functioned in the 1930s. Wedding photos are so ubiquitous now, but back then, this would have been a more staged, significant representation of social status and familial connection. Think about the clothing, the setting, the way the subjects arrange themselves; what message are they collectively trying to project to their community and to future generations? Editor: It’s definitely a display of wealth and union, with everyone looking poised. There are different seating heights and everyone is making direct eye contact. How did these kinds of images affect how weddings were perceived at the time? Curator: That's the key question! It helped to codify visual conventions for weddings, impacting everything from dress codes to venue choices. Also, consider who is *not* represented in this photograph. Who was excluded and what does that say about the social hierarchies of the time? Does that change how we read their intent? Editor: That makes me wonder about other wedding photographs during that period and who were the subjects. Thank you, I now have more questions to consider about photography. Curator: Exactly. Art serves to ask new questions. Hopefully we both have some idea about wedding photography in the 1930s.