Portret van een zittende man 1855 - 1865

Curator: Here we have an albumen print titled "Portret van een zittende man," dating from 1855 to 1865, currently held at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: My first thought is how intensely still everything seems. The composition, the sitter's gaze... It has this wonderfully serene stillness. Curator: It’s interesting to consider albumen prints as objects. The process, invented in 1850, involved coating paper with egg white and silver nitrate, making photography far more accessible. This really democratized image-making, creating a boom in portraiture and documentary work. Editor: Absolutely, and portraiture in particular really reveals the aspirations of the bourgeoisie in that period. Photography offered them a way to participate in visual culture previously reserved for the wealthy who could commission painted portraits. This fellow, with his dark suit and poised posture, wants to project respectability. Curator: The clothing alone tells a story. We can think about textile production during this time, how the industrial revolution impacted garment availability. Something seemingly simple like a black suit involved international supply chains, from raw materials to the tailoring shops employing legions of workers. Editor: And the staging of the photo too – it’s fascinating! That ornate chair isn’t just a prop; it’s a statement about his possible status, or at least, his aspirations. The backdrop is minimal, the light is diffuse. But these portraits often presented constructed personas to project ideal qualities to society. Curator: And look at how time literally plays a role. Albumen printing was an extremely labor-intensive craft. It involved coating, sensitizing, exposing, developing and toning the image. Not forgetting the posing time for the sitter! A material process deeply embedded in time and labour, contrasting with our instant image culture. Editor: It does invite reflection on our current relationship with photography. We’re so saturated with images; it's powerful to consider the rarity and gravitas a portrait like this would have held at the time. A precious thing, meticulously crafted. Curator: A reminder of the sheer physicality behind every photograph! From the materials to the act of posing, nothing was taken for granted. Editor: I think for me, it brings up so many interesting threads of class, labor, and representation. A window into a specific social landscape and the power dynamics it upheld.