Portret van Koosje 1883 - 1884

This photograph of Koosje was taken by Friedrich Carel Hisgen, its date remaining a mystery. Consider the stripes adorning Koosje’s garment. From ancient Rome, where they marked the clothing of slaves, to medieval Europe, where they were associated with social outcasts and heretics, stripes have long served as a visual language of marginalization. Even today, the symbolism of stripes oscillates between rebellion and confinement, freedom and oppression, a dichotomy that echoes in modern fashion and protest movements. One cannot ignore the emotional weight carried within these patterns. It taps into a collective memory, evoking feelings of restriction and exclusion, yet also a defiant assertion of identity. Such potent symbols weave through the tapestry of time, continually resurrected, reinterpreted, and reinvested with meaning.