Portret van Hendrik Tollens 1855

This print portrays Hendrik Tollens, though we don’t know exactly when Johan Hendrik Hoffmeister made it. The portrait gives us access to a specific cultural moment. Hendrik Tollens was a popular poet in the Netherlands during the first half of the 19th century. This print might have served to circulate his image, which would have solidified his fame and advanced his career. The portrait creates meaning through visual codes. The dark suit and tie suggest that he is a professional, and he appears self-assured. The image thus constructs Tollens as a respectable, successful, and important person. Prints like this were a key part of the nineteenth-century media landscape. They were made to be distributed and consumed by a wide audience, and the study of such images offers insights into the public role of art at the time. Historical archives are crucial for understanding the work that images do within a culture.