Self-portrait 

Alfred Dehodencq made this self-portrait with graphite on paper sometime in the mid-19th century. His piercing gaze confronts us directly, making us consider his role as both the artist and the subject, and the social dynamics of portraiture in France at this time. Consider the Romantic movement of the time, with its emphasis on individualism and emotionality. How might that movement have played a role in the growing popularity of the self-portrait as a genre? We can also see how institutional settings like the French academy shaped artistic training, which then influenced artists like Dehodencq. How can we read his slightly disheveled appearance? Perhaps a nod to the bohemian artist persona of the time, a rejection of bourgeois respectability. To understand Dehodencq’s choices more fully, one might delve into exhibition records of the time, or study biographies of other artists, using those resources to connect the image to its historical and cultural moment.