Portret van een jonge man 1860 - 1900

Hermann Callsen took this photograph of a young man, presumably in the Netherlands, using the albumen print process. The man’s neatly styled hair, formal suit, and bow tie, speak to the sartorial conventions of the late 19th century, reflecting a society where appearances were carefully constructed to convey respectability and social standing. The small size suggests it came from a carte-de-visite album, a popular format at the time for collecting and displaying portraits of family and friends. The rise of photography in the 19th century democratized portraiture, making it accessible to a wider segment of society. Prior to this, painted portraits were the exclusive preserve of the wealthy. This photograph, therefore, represents a shift in social norms and the changing landscape of visual representation. Historians often use sources such as fashion plates, social etiquette guides, and studio records to help understand how photographs like this functioned within their specific cultural contexts.