Portret van een jonge man 1870 - 1890

Cohen's Photografische Inrichting created this small portrait of a young man, a photograph mounted on card. Photographic studios flourished in the Netherlands from the mid-19th century. Like Cohen's, they provided a service to a growing middle class eager to participate in the modern culture of image-making. The formal pose, dress and sepia tone reflect the conventions of bourgeois portraiture at the time. Looking closely, the portrait is framed in a decorative window. This, and the small format, suggests it was made for an album. It's likely that the sitter would have chosen Cohen's studio precisely because it offered a look that communicated respectability. What can we deduce about the sitter from this image? He appears young, is dressed smartly, but not extravagantly. Photographs like this are rich sources for social historians. We can consult census records, trade directories, and fashion archives to understand how the sitter and Cohen's studio fit into the broader social and economic fabric of the time. The meaning of art changes over time, depending on its social and institutional context.