Portret van een man in een jas met een hoge hoed en hand in de zak c. 1855 - 1870

This photographic portrait of a man with a top hat was made by Frederik Kayser, a 19th-century Dutch photographer. The carte-de-visite, as this format was known, was made using the wet collodion process, a labor-intensive technique where a glass plate is coated, sensitized, exposed, and developed, all within a short time frame. The resulting negative could then be used to make multiple prints on albumen paper, a process involving coating paper with egg white to create a glossy surface. The popularity of cartes-de-visite coincided with the rise of industrial capitalism, allowing for mass production and distribution of images. The format democratized portraiture, making it accessible to a wider segment of the population beyond the elite. The material and process reflect a shift towards reproducibility, mirroring the broader industrial transformations of the era. Ultimately, understanding the materials and making of this photograph sheds light on its cultural significance, and reminds us that even seemingly straightforward images are shaped by specific processes and social contexts.