Portret van een staande man met hoge hoed in de hand

This is a small portrait of a standing man with a high hat in hand by Abraham Adrianus Vermeulen, held at the Rijksmuseum. The sepia tones give the image a sense of nostalgia, yet the man's direct gaze brings us into the present. Vermeulen uses a conventional composition for portraits: the sitter is placed centrally, flanked by props that signify his status – a carved chair and draped table. However, the photograph's power lies in its subtle destabilization of established codes. The man holds his hat rather than wearing it, disrupting the expected formality. The tight crop and small scale further challenge traditional portraiture, shifting the focus from grand representation to intimate observation. Through these formal choices, Vermeulen subtly questions fixed notions of identity and representation. Ultimately, the photograph invites us to consider how even within conventional forms, the seeds of change can be sown.