Portret van een jonge man met stropdas 1874 - 1900

This is a photographic portrait of a young man with a tie by Cornelis Bernardus Broersma, presented in a modest, rectangular frame. The sepia tones give the piece a warm, nostalgic feel. The image is dominated by an oval portrait, carefully framed, suggesting a structured approach to capturing the subject. Broersma's choice to isolate the young man within an oval disrupts the conventional square format, inviting us to consider how framing shapes our perception. Semiotically, the oval can be seen as a signifier of wholeness and containment, focusing attention on the individual and his place within society. The subdued palette and the formal attire of the subject also hint at a desire to present a composed and respectable image. The photograph plays with ideas of representation and identity and destabilizes conventional portraiture. It challenges us to think about the structures that underpin how we see and interpret the world around us.