Portret van een onbekende vrouw 1855 - 1885

Curator: The cool composure of this sitter, in a portrait by Atelier Walther. It is titled, rather plainly, "Portrait of an Unknown Woman." Created sometime between 1855 and 1885, it uses an albumen print. Editor: She has such a melancholic, almost haunted look in her eyes. I wonder what stories she holds. The toning also gives it that antiquated, sepia-infused romance, like old pressed flowers. Curator: The process of creating albumen prints involved coating paper with egg whites and silver nitrate, yielding a smooth surface that captured fine details. These types of photos were extremely popular for cartes de visite, cabinet cards, and portraits because of that sharpness. Editor: Exactly. And looking closely, her silk dress seems almost liquid, catching the light. These garments signified status and taste in society, didn't they? A mark of consumption and luxury, but also social pressures. Curator: Absolutely. Photographic portraits became democratized around this time, yet they remained objects imbued with socio-economic messaging. The act of commissioning a portrait announced an individual’s, or rather, a family’s arrival. Also, this portrait being “of an unknown woman” does that speak to how gender functions historically, as well? Editor: It's always compelling to view old portraits like these because there's still an intimacy involved, even now. While they aimed for historical status, it's clear that personal sentiment went into making sure she looked 'just so' as the finished product here—whatever identity-driven messaging the work performs, the humanity always surfaces to connect us all. Curator: A lovely point, it reminds me how the confluence of technological process and the agency of the sitter continues to shape our understanding of this historical era and this albumen print in particular. Editor: It seems we've gone from considering the processes behind this photograph to also highlighting her role and place within it!