Zeven portretten van onbekende mensen en kinderen die verdriet tonen before 1890

Here is a lithograph depicting seven portraits of unknown people and children, all expressing sadness. The image seems to be a page from a scientific study, perhaps originating from late 19th-century Europe, a period deeply influenced by burgeoning fields like psychology and anthropology. It's likely connected to studies of physiognomy – the idea that one's character could be read in their facial features, or potentially early research into emotional expression. This period saw a growing interest in categorizing and understanding human behavior through scientific means. These images might reflect the social and cultural concerns of the time, perhaps aiming to define or understand psychological states through visual documentation. The institutional context might be academic or medical, linked to efforts to classify and study human emotions in a ‘scientific’ way. To understand this image better, consider the research of figures like Duchenne de Boulogne, who studied the physiology of expression, and the broader social attitudes towards emotions and their visual representation in the 19th century. Art is always embedded in its time, shaped by the prevailing ideas and institutions.