Portret van een vrouw met muts in geruite japon 1864 - 1880

Johannes Hinderikus Egenberger made this portrait photograph of a woman wearing a bonnet and checkered dress. The photograph comes to us from a time when photography studios were becoming more widespread. This suggests the sitter may have come from the middle classes. The image is an example of a carte-de-visite, a calling card, that could be given to friends or family members. The woman’s dress is quite elaborate, and we might ask what the social conventions were for such a formal portrait. What was the sitter trying to convey about herself? How does this compare to other portraits from the same period, and what can those comparisons tell us? As an art historian, I might consult sources such as etiquette manuals, fashion magazines, and other images of the period, to better understand the codes and conventions of this photographic portrait. These resources can help us to place the image within the broader social and cultural context of the time.