Koppen 1840 - 1880

This is ‘Koppen’ a small drawing made with pen in the 19th century by Johannes Tavenraat. Tavenraat lived and worked during a period of significant social change in the Netherlands, with burgeoning industrialization and shifts in class structures. The drawing presents a stark contrast in its depictions of different faces. There is a refined profile at the top, and then below, a grouping of more caricatured visages. This contrast is evocative, prompting us to consider the relationships of power and representation at play in the 19th century. The hierarchy suggested by the placement of these figures—the idealized above the grotesque—speaks volumes about the social biases inherent in portraiture. How might these sketches reflect the artist's own position within the rapidly changing society of his time, and his attitudes toward class and identity? These faces, captured with such starkness and intimacy, offer us a window into the social and cultural values of the past.