Portret van een onbekende jongen 1861 - 1915

Carel Eduard Westerborg, a photographer from Arnhem in the Netherlands, made this albumen print of an unknown boy. The image is an example of how photography served the needs of middle-class society in the late nineteenth century. Photography was still a relatively new medium. While it had become more accessible, it was still often used for formal portraiture that mimicked the conventions of painting. In this case, the boy is dressed in a suit and tie, indicating a certain level of social standing. The stern look and formal pose reflect the values of the time, emphasizing respectability and decorum. It is important to remember that our understanding of images is always shaped by the social and institutional context in which they are made and viewed. By researching photographic studios in the Netherlands, and exploring archives of similar images, we can understand more about how the rise of photography changed visual culture and social norms.