Portret van een onbekende man before 1900

This is a photographic portrait by Erwin Raupp, depicting an unknown man. Note the man's monocle, and the way that it sits within the context of early photography, a tool that was quickly democratizing image-making. The monocle acts as a symbol, signifying intellectualism and the gaze of the elite. One cannot help but recall images of Roman emperors, who also possessed unique visions of power. This symbol has been repeated in depictions of scholars throughout the ages. Photography, in its infancy, became a tool wielded by a rising middle class and the avant-garde to break down the barriers upheld by the art academies. Just as photography democratized the portrait, the monocle here might also be a kind of performance, a way of consciously placing oneself within a historical narrative. As images echo through time, their meanings transform, reflecting the ever-shifting currents of culture and memory.