Portret van een onbekende man c. 1880 - 1900

This portrait of an unknown man was made by Idanus Hendrikus Slaterus, a Dutch photographer active in the latter half of the nineteenth century. This image, likely a carte-de-visite, offers a window into the visual culture and social dynamics of the time. The man's formal attire – a dark, double-breasted coat and a high-collared shirt – speaks to the sartorial conventions of the Dutch middle class. Note the studio backdrop and carefully arranged pose, which were typical of commercial photography at the time. Photography studios emerged in the Netherlands in the mid-19th century, catering to a growing demand for portraiture among the bourgeoisie. These studios played a role in shaping social identity through the commodification of images. To fully understand this photograph, a historian might consult city directories, studio records, and collections of cartes-de-visite. Such sources can reveal more about the sitter, the photographer, and the wider socio-economic context of this image. Art, in this instance, is inextricably linked to social and institutional context.