Picture perfect

A woman sits in front of our camera. She is wearing a light skirt buttoned down at the front and a blouse with large buttons and puffy sleeves, similar to those of the other ladies we will see later. To keep her hair out of her face, she wears a hair cap. Hairstyles at the end of the nineteenth century were no longer high-rising, but simple and comfortable, especially for the working classes. Her hands folded in her lap, sitting on an austere wooden chair, she looks away from the lens. Perhaps because she was not yet used to the new technique (photography was after all still new in 1880)? Or maybe she was ashamed of her actions?

Her name is above her portrait: Elisabeth Geertruida Bartelman. She was born and raised in Amsterdam and was 53 years old at the time of her arrest. The text further states : 'Theft, Swindle, 183 days imprisonment'. The fact that she is featured on this page is not a good sign. A small consolation: she was not the only one. Elisabeth shares these pages with three other women.