Silhouetportret, mogelijk van de kolonel Alfred de la Fontaine c. 1820 - 1851

Daniël (I) Veelwaard created this silhouette portrait, possibly of Colonel Alfred de la Fontaine, using an unknown medium. Silhouette portraits were very popular in the late 18th and early 19th centuries as a more affordable alternative to painted portraits. Think of them as the selfies of their time. This work raises questions about representation, identity, and power. Whose stories get told and whose are left in the shadows? The sitter, potentially a military man, is presented in profile, a common pose that emphasizes status and authority. These portraits often flattened individual identities, reducing people to mere outlines. In doing so, they raise important questions about who is remembered in history, and how. What does it mean to be represented, and what is lost in that representation? Perhaps the starkness of the silhouette reflects the rigid social structures of the time. Yet, within that constraint, there is still a sense of individuality.