Portret van Robert Fleming 1796 - 1825

This is Johann Gottlieb Boettger's portrait of Robert Fleming, made with etching and engraving sometime around the late 18th century. Fleming was a Scottish Presbyterian minister and writer known for his interpretations of biblical prophecy. What does it mean to be a public figure during the enlightenment? The very existence of this printed portrait suggests that Fleming’s likeness was considered worthy of distribution and collection. The work testifies to a growing print culture in Europe and to the status of religious figures within it. Consider the way Fleming is styled. He wears a long, elaborate wig and a clerical collar. These visual markers reflect the hierarchies of 18th-century society. To understand the portrait fully, one might explore the history of religious institutions in Europe, and how they intersect with the history of printmaking. The portrait, in its time, would have spoken to the contemporary social structures, revealing itself as self-consciously conservative.