Portret van een man 1881 - 1903

Curator: This albumen print, "Portret van een man", comes to us from somewhere between 1881 and 1903, now residing here at the Rijksmuseum. Quite the find, don't you think? Editor: Immediately, I’m struck by the sepia tones, the very crisp lines of the man’s suit against the blurred backdrop. It exudes a sort of stiff formality, a studied attempt at projecting a particular social persona. Curator: It does have that rigid feel doesn’t it? You see this in a lot of portraiture from the time. This wasn’t an art of candid snapshots, not at all, more a posed and very carefully constructed image. Makes you wonder about the unposed reality of this gentleman, no? Editor: Precisely! Photography at this time became intertwined with solidifying middle-class respectability, and this image is very emblematic of that aspiration. I am curious about the class dynamics, I wonder about how it intersected with societal norms of the period regarding masculinity and identity? Curator: I suspect that our Mr. X, for that’s what he is for me until we find out more, believed implicitly in presenting himself as upright, respectable, proper. Perhaps the man felt it essential. The slightly downcast eyes may hold some doubt, some inner reflection. It also lends itself to so much more... maybe he had something to hide? Editor: Absolutely! I believe photography served as a social function and a method of self-construction and storytelling through the image, so you do start questioning. The albumen printing process often involved meticulous manipulation, enhancing contrasts and obscuring blemishes. Our man becomes less a singular person, more a vessel carrying all sorts of socio-political baggage. Curator: Ah yes, the “real” is often hidden, is it not? Like looking into a magic mirror… we see not only the man, but an age, an ideology, perhaps even the man's desires…! Editor: It serves as a point of reflection that extends far beyond the surface image and time frame it originally stood for. Thanks to those subtle markers you so eloquently pointed out! Curator: Thank YOU. Indeed. Makes me yearn to see what happens when photographs take to doing whatever they want, no such formal restrictions applying to our portraits, finally. Editor: Imagine the explosion that brings... revealing everything hidden! It makes you want to delve more into art, history, photography and find out, not only more, but who holds the stories to be told.