Portret van een man in uniform 1887

This small photograph shows a man in uniform, and was made by Eugène Maurice in the late 19th century. It's a carte-de-visite, a calling card format popular at the time, made possible by advancements in photographic technology. The image itself is a product of chemical processes, meticulously controlled to capture a likeness. The man’s uniform is rendered in tones of grey, each button a tiny glimmer. But it's not just about the image; the card it's printed on matters too. Mass-produced, yet carefully designed with an oval frame, it speaks to the democratization of portraiture. These cards were collected, traded, and displayed, making photography accessible to a wider public. So while this may seem like a simple portrait, it's also an artifact of a rapidly changing society, one where new technologies transformed both art and everyday life.