Portret van een zittende man 1870 - 1899

Curator: Here we have a portrait from between 1870 and 1899, its official title is 'Portret van een zittende man'. Editor: The man's seated pose gives off a sense of rigid formality; its severe aesthetic feels somewhat joyless. Curator: Exactly! Now, it’s a photographic portrait, likely a salt print given the period. This process involved coating paper with light-sensitive silver salts. Editor: The sepia tones give it such depth. Looking closely at the figure's carefully placed hand and posture, the arrangement really does reveal an understanding of pictorial composition of that period. Curator: Think of the social context then—photography was becoming more accessible, documenting the burgeoning middle class. This portrait represents the democratisation of image-making. Editor: Interesting, but also consider the semiotics. His clothing speaks volumes; the tailored jacket and chain could connote wealth and stature through such sartorial codes. Curator: And what about the photographer, Hermanus Arnoldus Mens? His studio would have been a workspace, reflecting industrialization’s impact on craft. Editor: True. But without the formal construction of lines, tone and shape – even here, he may never be more than simply, and historically, framed. Curator: I see it as a document—recording the materiality of clothing, props, and the photographer’s labour. This informs the historical narrative we understand today. Editor: Both the materials and production inform this striking portrait and that helps construct his self image for that era. The photograph is now less static, due to what it tells us about the relationship between history, process and subject.