Portrait of Meder 

Carl Hoff's pencil drawing, "Portrait of Meder," captures a well-dressed man in a top hat. It was most likely made in Germany in the early to mid-19th century. The clothing provides insight into the sitter’s social standing. The top hat and carefully knotted cravat were worn mostly by the upper and middle classes. Looking at the man's confident gaze, it may be that Hoff was trying to represent the values of the Biedermeier era in Germany, which emphasized domesticity, stability, and private life. This aesthetic turned away from political and social issues and focused more on the individual. To understand this drawing fully, we can look at publications from the period, such as fashion plates and etiquette guides. These resources give us a sense of the codes of dress and behavior that would have been recognizable to Hoff's contemporaries. By studying these documents, we can reconstruct the social world in which this image was made and discover how it may have been received at the time.