Portret van een onbekende man 1890 - 1920

C. Tettero, a photographer whose dates we don't know, captured this carte-de-visite portrait of an unknown man. Small and easily reproduced, these cards offered a new form of visual representation that became a popular form of social currency. The image's meaning lies in the sitter's attempt to perform respectability. The man is neatly dressed in a three-piece suit with a watch chain, leaning casually on a neoclassical plinth with his hat placed carefully on top. The backdrop is minimal but suggestive of wealth. Made in the Netherlands, these visual codes reflect the values of the rising middle class of the late 19th century. Photography studios became institutions in themselves, democratizing portraiture for a broader public and offering them a chance to participate in the construction of social identity. To fully understand this image, we might delve into the archives of Dutch photography studios and social histories of dress. This photograph is not just a picture; it's a window into a specific moment of cultural and institutional history.