Portret van een man met snor 1880 - 1910

Curator: Ah, yes. Here we have an interesting photographic portrait. "Portret van een man met snor," or "Portrait of a Man with a Mustache," believed to have been taken between 1880 and 1910 by August Döpke. Editor: Wow. Stately, isn't he? Though I can’t help but think that mustache has a life of its own, almost a second character trying to upstage the main subject. There's something almost playfully subversive in those upturned whiskers, right? Curator: Subversive indeed. Portraiture of this period, especially amongst the rising bourgeois, often sought to project power and respectability. How does this intersect with evolving gender norms of the time? What’s the implicit statement conveyed through this image? We should perhaps think about the expectations of masculinity… Editor: It feels like a peek behind the curtain of stuffy formalities. Like the guy secretly knows his mustache is a bit ridiculous, and he's in on the joke. I'm reminded of some silent movie stars, they just had to over-emphasize everything! It's beautiful! It's sort of cheeky. The tones lend an old world feel that suggests he might be in on some mischievous activities that we’ll never hear about. Curator: That playfulness complicates simple interpretations of masculine identity. Think about the rigid social expectations imposed on men of the era and consider what it might mean to subtly, perhaps unconsciously, play with those expectations in a medium meant to project idealized versions of self. The photograph in itself then functions as a micro-rebellion against imposed order. Editor: You've given me so much to chew on here. When I glance back to it I keep thinking this should be a comedic book cover from the time; one with biting commentary about gender norms that still persist today. It makes you reflect… Curator: It certainly does. Döpke's portrait prompts us to reconsider how identity is constructed, performed, and immortalized through art. Editor: Well, whatever it is. That mustache? It tells a story all its own, don’t you think? A silent proclamation! Curator: Perhaps. And it also prompts a broader understanding of identity politics, which in my view is definitely a productive end goal!