Portret van een staande jongen met rijzweep in de hand 1878 - 1892

This photographic portrait was made by Willem Hooijer, though the exact date remains unknown. It is a small print, mounted on card, likely made by an albumen process, which was common in the late 19th century. The sepia tones we see are not only an aesthetic choice, but an effect of the materials. Albumen, derived from egg whites, was applied to the paper before being exposed to light through a negative. The resulting image has a soft, almost painterly quality, with fine details rendered in subtle gradations. This particular example is quite small, suggesting it may have been made for an album or as a keepsake. Photography was a burgeoning industry at the time, and studios like Hooijer’s offered a service that was once only available to the wealthy through painted portraiture. Yet, in this image, the boy's riding whip and smart boots hint at a privileged background. This photograph then, provides a fascinating material record of social class, captured through the relatively new technology of photography.