Portret van een staande vrouw in een jurk 1861 - 1874

This is Albert Greiner’s “Portret van een staande vrouw in een jurk,” a photograph now held in the Rijksmuseum. The portrait invites us to consider the role of women in 19th-century European society. During this time, women were often confined to the domestic sphere, with limited opportunities for education or professional advancement. Photography, then a relatively new medium, offered a way to represent and, perhaps, reimagine women’s roles. The woman's elaborate dress and posed stance reflect the conventions of portraiture at the time, yet there is a subtle sense of individuality in her gaze. Was this an attempt by the sitter to take control of her own narrative? Or was it the photographer playing with the possibilities of representation? This image provides a glimpse into the complex interplay between identity, representation, and societal expectations during a transformative period in history.