Portret van professor Jan van Leeuwen, hoogleraar te Leiden 1905 - 1920

Curator: So, we have here what looks like a fairly straightforward photographic portrait, rendered as a gelatin silver print. The Rijksmuseum credits this one to an anonymous artist, created sometime between 1905 and 1920. It’s titled “Portret van professor Jan van Leeuwen, hoogleraar te Leiden,” which translates to "Portrait of Professor Jan van Leeuwen, professor in Leiden.” Editor: Immediately I get the sense of a sort of kindly, old-world scholar—all wisdom etched into wrinkles and cascading from that remarkable beard. It makes me wonder about what the light revealed back then, about intellect and its quiet power. Curator: Considering the social dynamics, we might interpret it as reflecting the era's reverence for academic figures and their contributions to knowledge. The use of photography – a relatively modern medium – signals an effort to democratize representation while simultaneously upholding the status of intellectual elites. I’m very interested in the gaze. It almost appears that his expression serves to authenticate expertise. Editor: True, there's an undeniable seriousness, but there’s also something ethereal. Those slightly unfocused eyes, behind those wiry spectacles, almost suggests he's seeing beyond the frame, contemplating some great philosophical concept. I imagine, back then, viewers seeing this portrait probably placed it in relation to classical paintings. A claim, perhaps, to intellectual and social immortality. Curator: Indeed. Van Leeuwen's posture and gaze demand that the viewer acknowledge his contributions within the context of Dutch intellectual history. Also, given that it's an anonymous work, the power shifts subtly. Does it comment on the commercialization of academic portraiture, or perhaps a statement of individual intellectual significance superseding artistic ego? Editor: It could well be that the lack of an attributable artist emphasizes that in focusing so much on the image, we miss that our relationship is directly with Professor Van Leeuwen. I bet he'd have lots to say to us today if that were so. It really captures something timeless. What are your lasting thoughts? Curator: This gelatin-silver print becomes an artifact ripe for interpreting the role of intellectuals, representation, and power at the turn of the century. A starting point, I think, to dissect ideas around status and legacy, ideas we still struggle with today. Editor: And for me, the Professor and the photograph leave me contemplating who or what future photographs might tell. A reminder to us, to the "us" of the future, to remain alive within our moment.