Portret van een man met snor en baard 1867 - 1888

Editor: We’re looking at a photograph, “Portret van een man met snor en baard” - that translates to "Portrait of a man with a moustache and beard," by Johannes Wilhelmus Franciscus Offenberg. It was taken sometime between 1867 and 1888, and it's an albumen print. I’m struck by its formality. He looks quite serious, and yet there's something very intimate about the way the light catches his face. What captures your attention in this piece? Curator: Oh, absolutely, there’s a certain stillness, isn't there? This feels like stepping into a different era. For me, beyond the posed nature, there's an incredible sense of the subject’s presence. What stories do you think he carries? What's reflected in his gaze, do you suppose? There is a desire here for self-representation - who this man wishes to project to the world. Editor: It feels like he's presenting a very curated version of himself, doesn't it? The suit, the carefully groomed beard…it’s a deliberate choice. He's on display but seems self-contained, and aware of it. What do you think his life was like? Curator: Precisely! I wonder about the emerging middle class, and the rise of photography at this time, making portraiture accessible to more people. Did having his portrait taken like this afford a kind of immortality, perhaps? This is an act of legacy creation. What will they make of us in 150 years, eh? Editor: It is intriguing to consider. Seeing this photo really puts a human face on history – making this era feel tangible, you know? Curator: Precisely! To view an actual, dignified person of the time; to realize people of the past are not unlike us! Now, how can I get a sweet moustache like that?!