Portret van een man met bril, zittend aan een bureau 1863 - 1879

Theodor Brüggemann created this small portrait of a seated man at a desk using photography. This image reflects the rising prominence of the middle class in 19th-century Europe, particularly within the German states. The man's attire and studious pose at a decorative desk suggest a figure engaged in intellectual or professional pursuits. Photography itself, as a relatively new and accessible medium, played a democratizing role in portraiture. It allowed individuals outside the aristocracy to commission images of themselves, thus reshaping social hierarchies and visual representation. To understand the nuances of this portrait, one could delve into archives of professional organizations, and middle class social clubs of the period to better appreciate the sitter's social role. In doing so, we can come to see how even modest images offer insights into the changing social landscape of the time.