Portret van een onbekende vrouw 1855 - 1880

Hendrik Dresselhuis captured this portrait of an unknown woman using the carte de visite technique, a popular format in the 19th century. The woman's gaze is direct and unwavering, but it is the high-collared cape, fastened with a round brooch, that draws our attention. The cape echoes the ruffs of the Renaissance, collars which signified status and modesty, yet also constraint. Think of the portraits of Queen Elizabeth I, each with a similar, though more elaborate, structure. Here, the cape is simplified, domesticated, but the echo of power remains, filtered through layers of cultural memory. Interestingly, the round brooch suggests a protective amulet. Like the "evil eye" pendants, these ornaments served not just as decoration, but as silent guardians. The woman's direct stare, combined with the subtle power of her adornments, suggests a complex interplay of vulnerability and resilience, a silent dialogue between the subject and the viewer. The progression of these symbols is never linear, but cyclical, resurfacing and evolving in each new historical context.