Portret van een man met snor 1890 - 1920

This portrait of a man with a mustache by Jac. & S. Schotel is a tiny little world unto itself. I imagine the artist carefully positioning their subject, trying to capture something essential about him. I wonder, what was it like to be them behind the camera? Did they have a clear vision, or did the image emerge through experimentation? Maybe they were thinking about how to balance light and shadow, how to make this man look both dignified and approachable. The delicate gradations of tone in the photograph are so subtle, it feels like the image is almost breathing. And that mustache – isn't it great? It speaks of a bygone era, of formality and perhaps a touch of whimsy. Thinking about this image, I’m reminded of other photographers like Julia Margaret Cameron, who also sought to capture the inner lives of her subjects. It’s all part of a long conversation, where artists respond to one another across time. It's a conversation I'm so happy to be a part of.