Portret van een onbekende man in klederdracht van Walcheren 1870 - 1890

This is a hand-colored carte-de-visite portraying an unknown man in the traditional costume of Walcheren. These small cards gained popularity in the mid-19th century, amid burgeoning colonial expansion and industrial development. This portrait freezes a moment in time, capturing a man in clothing specific to his region and likely his social standing. What does it mean to record and preserve these markers of identity, particularly as modernity threatened to homogenize cultural practices? The clothes speak of belonging and tradition, while the photographic format suggests a desire to document, perhaps even to hold onto something perceived as fading away. The sitter's gaze, both direct and slightly reserved, hints at the complex negotiations between self-representation and the external forces shaping identity. This image serves as a reminder of the individuals who navigated these shifting cultural landscapes, and the choices they made about what to preserve, present, and ultimately, how to be seen.