Fotoreproductie van een portret van Wilhelm I op een leeftijd van 43 jaar before 1897

Editor: This is a reproduction of a portrait of Wilhelm I, around 1840, from an anonymous artist and it is an engraving. The stark formality seems intended to project power and legitimacy. What’s your take on this particular representation? Curator: This portrait, especially considering its wide distribution as a print, plays directly into constructing an image of monarchy during a period of intense socio-political upheaval. It asks us to consider how images function to solidify power structures and national identity. Note the careful attention to detail in his uniform, which is about emphasizing military might and social status. Who do you think this portrait primarily served? Editor: I suppose it’s intended for the general populace, a way to visualize their ruler, to normalize his presence and authority. It also appears, though, as a spread in a book… Could it have served as propaganda for those allied with the ruler? Curator: Precisely. Consider the implications of mass reproduction during this time. Prints like these allowed for the wide dissemination of carefully crafted images that upheld specific narratives about leadership and national identity. What about the artist's decision to depict him in profile, rather than face-on? Editor: Perhaps to create an image of unyielding focus. It hides part of him from our direct gaze, making him less accessible, perhaps, contributing to a sense of his unassailability. I had not fully thought of it as carefully curated image production intended to solidify power. Curator: Exactly. Thinking critically about these visual strategies can illuminate the mechanisms through which power operates and is maintained in society. Hopefully this image becomes much more than a portrait on the page now.