Portret van Arend Bakker 1825 - 1861

Jacobus Everhardus Josephus van den Berg made this pencil drawing of Arend Bakker in the Netherlands, likely sometime in the first half of the 19th century. The profile portrait was a popular format at this time, particularly among the middle classes. In the Netherlands, these images would often have been commissioned to commemorate professional success, academic achievement or family milestones. We can tell something of Bakker’s social class by the artist’s skill. Van den Berg was a well-regarded portrait painter, suggesting that Bakker was affluent enough to employ an established artist. The soft hatching and delicate lines used to model Bakker’s face are characteristic of academic art training at this time. As art historians, we can turn to archival records like census data, probate inventories, and institutional records to uncover the social dynamics that influenced the production and reception of such images. By understanding the historical context, we gain insight into the social function of art and its ability to reflect and shape the values of its time.