Portret van J. van Raal van Konijnenburg 1892 - 1893

Curator: Let’s take a look at "Portret van J. van Raal van Konijnenburg," a gelatin silver print made around 1892-1893 by Abraham Koorenhoff. Editor: Ah, he looks rather distinguished! The kind of chap who has strong opinions on…everything, maybe even the placement of that rather prominent beard. Very buttoned-up, quite serious. Curator: Absolutely, and that's the performance of identity embedded within this image. We see codes of bourgeois masculinity in the late 19th century Netherlands expressed through his clothing, groomed facial hair, and composed posture. Editor: There's something endearingly stuffy about him, you know? He probably saw having his photograph taken as a serious undertaking! Curator: Exactly! This points toward the democratization of portraiture brought on by photography at the time, moving from painted portraiture of elites to photographic representations of a broader class of individuals. The details of how the sitter chooses to perform—in how he poses, his clothing, even the studio he chooses to visit—all underscore emerging social dynamics. Editor: I imagine, though, the novelty of being captured in an instant like this. It's so easy now, but back then, that must have felt quite profound. He seems very self-aware, which is what strikes me. The world is seeing him in a new way and he wants to present it “correctly”. Curator: I agree. It underscores how portraiture is always an active co-creation, a dialogue between photographer and sitter but also their relationship to wider aesthetic and cultural practices. What constitutes respectable masculinity during this period isn’t naturally-occurring; it’s performative. Editor: This makes me wonder, if Van Raal van Konijnenburg could see it today, what he would think. Would he like how seriously we analyze his gelatin silver print? Maybe he'd chuckle at all the layers of interpretation! Curator: Ultimately, exploring these historical photographs gives us a unique window into understanding shifts in societal norms and identity formation. Editor: Right. And perhaps reminds us not to take ourselves too seriously. A good beard is timeless, though.