Portret van Hendrik Bouman c. 1900 - 1920

This cabinet card portrait of Hendrik Bouman was made by Johannes Laurens Theodorus Huijsen in the late nineteenth century using the photographic process. I imagine Huijsen in his studio, carefully arranging his subject and his props. It’s such a formal pose, isn’t it? I mean, the young man in his military uniform leans casually against an ornate table. The lighting is dim and highlights his face and uniform. You can almost feel the weight of the past, the seriousness of the era. I wonder what it was like for Huijsen to create this portrait? Did he see the sitter as an individual, or simply as a representative of a certain social class? In a way, portrait photography like this is a bit like painting, right? It's a way of capturing a moment in time, but it's also a way of creating a lasting image. Think about other photographers like Nadar, who were also interested in capturing the essence of their sitters. It makes you think about the ongoing conversation between artists across time.