Portret van Lucas Jonker 1870 - 1900

Wegner & Mottu of Amsterdam and Utrecht produced this carte-de-visite portrait of Lucas Jonker. Small, affordable photographs like this became immensely popular in the mid-19th century. These images served as calling cards and mementos, circulating within social networks. The rise of photography studios like Wegner & Mottu democratized portraiture, making it accessible to a broader segment of the population beyond the traditional elite. This raises a crucial question about the role of new technologies in reshaping social hierarchies and artistic expression. Photography altered the existing art institutions. For example, painted portraiture saw a steep decline after it had its market stolen by photography. To understand this image fully, we might investigate the history of photography in the Netherlands and the social context of portraiture in the 19th century. The role of art history is to look at how the image creates meaning through visual codes, cultural references, and historical associations.