Portret van een staande man met hoge hoed 1870 - 1877

Simon van Caspel captured this modest albumen print, showing a standing man with a high hat. The hat, once donned as a symbol of status, is now casually held in hand, hinting at a transition in social norms, a dance between tradition and modernity. Consider this gesture – the relaxed grip on the hat, the leaning pose. Echoes of classical contrapposto resonate, yet stripped of heroic grandeur. The hat, reminiscent of Hermes' winged cap, has become a mere accessory, a token of bourgeois identity. The chain hanging off the waistcoat, once a symbol of time and wealth, now dangles almost like a useless thread, a physical memento mori of a bygone era. These motifs, altered yet recognizable, reveal the relentless march of time, a subconscious echo of cultural memory.