Groepsportret van de familie Crommelin genomen ter gelegenheid van de zeventigste verjaardag van Gulian Cornelis Crommelin (1809-1891) met daar omheen kleine portretten Possibly 1879

This group portrait of the Crommelin family was taken on the occasion of Gulian Cornelis Crommelin's seventieth birthday, but the identity of the artist remains a mystery. Captured in a photograph, the Crommelin family presents a fascinating tableau of 19th-century Dutch society. The composition is formal, the adults are arranged around a table in their finery, and smaller portraits surround the central image—perhaps signifying deceased relatives or family members who couldn't attend. What stories do these individuals hold, given the historical context of the Netherlands during this period? The women’s fashion, with their layered dresses, might indicate a certain level of domestic confinement, while the men, mostly in suits, reflect their participation in the public sphere. Consider how the image creates and reinforces notions of family identity, and how the choice to commemorate this event through photography – a relatively new technology at the time – speaks to the family’s desire to preserve their legacy. This image therefore serves not only as a personal memento but also as a reflection of the cultural values and social structures of the time.