Portret van de heer Van der Boon Possibly 1859

Johann Peter Berghaus made this print, "Portret van de heer Van der Boon," using etching and engraving techniques, likely in the mid-19th century. It portrays a certain Mr. Van der Boon in a conventional, almost standardized manner, very typical of the time. Consider the social conditions that made such a portrait desirable. In the Netherlands, as across Europe, the 19th century saw the rise of a middle class keen to emulate the status symbols of the aristocracy. Portraiture, once the domain of the elite, became increasingly accessible to this new class of merchants and professionals. Prints like these, produced in multiples, offered a relatively affordable way to be memorialized and to assert one’s place in society. We might ask, what was Van der Boon's profession? What were his aspirations? Answering these questions takes us beyond the image itself and into the social and economic history of the Netherlands. Resources like genealogical records, local histories, and trade directories can help us understand the world that shaped this image.