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Fashioning the Academic and Private Self: The Clothing of Johanna Westerdijk in the Context of her Biography

This article aims to analyze the clothing of Dutch botanist Johanna Westerdijk (1883–1961) in connection with her biography, academic career, and character. A thorough analysis of changes and constants in her clothing reveals her personal style and approach to fashion, made possible due to the significant number of Westerdijk’s portraits — the primary source for this study. Her sartorial sense, as seen in these photographs, mirrors the manner in which Westerdijk defined herself, both as a woman and scholar. The variety of Westerdijk’s portraits allow us to analyze her clothing during official ceremonies, at work, in daily life situations, her travel outfits as well as her dressing-up and cross-dressing practices. This article indicates that these visual sources provide interesting insights into how Westerdijk fashioned herself. The purpose of the article is to investigate the extent to which research into biography and dress history can be mutually illuminating.