While an individual portrait can tell as a lot about a specific person, a group portrait is an excellent mirror of social relations. Looking at both official portraits (that portray members of various associations and professional groups) and the more intimate portraits (that show friends or family), we can understand the specific rules of operation of each of these groups. Aside from the obvious differences, they are united by one commonality. Namely, until around the 1920s, women are almost entirely absent from official group portraits and are shown only in private, family and social-function contexts. This gradually changes after the First World War, when women began to function in the public sphere. Portraits of many people are a great challenge for the photographer not only because of the difficulties associated with controlling the subjects but also with their proper positioning. Often, the photographer 'constructs' extremely complex compositions out of the subjects, ones that can even resemble an ornament.