Portret van een staande man met sigaar in de hand 1860 - 1880

This is a photograph of a man holding a cigar by Pierre Chargois. It is a small, rectangular print with a muted sepia tone. Notice how the composition divides the frame vertically, the man’s figure filling most of the space. He stands confidently, almost confrontational. The texture of his clothing and hair are captured with fine detail. The way the light catches his face and the smoke of his cigar adds a sense of depth. The photograph raises questions about representation and social identity. The subject’s formal attire and the cigar function as visual markers of class and status, inviting us to decode the cultural values embedded in this image. While it presents a specific individual, it also functions as a signifier of societal norms. Photography, during this period, served both to document and to construct social identities. Consider how the framing of the man and the careful control of light and shadow work to create a particular image of masculinity. The photograph is not simply a record, it is a carefully constructed representation.