Portret man in militair uniform 1863 - 1880

Johannes Baer made this photograph, "Portret man in militair uniform", sometime in the late 19th century. This cabinet card, now held at the Rijksmuseum, presents us with an intriguing image of a man in military uniform. The cultural and institutional context in which the photograph was made is most revealing. Baer was a Dutch photographer working at a time when photography was becoming increasingly accessible to the middle classes. Military portraiture was a popular genre, reflecting the importance of the armed forces in maintaining national identity and projecting power. The man's uniform signifies his role in upholding the social order, while the formal pose and studio setting speak to the conventions of bourgeois portraiture. We might ask, what does this image tell us about the relationship between the military and civilian society in the Netherlands at this time? Further research into the archives of military history and photographic studios could shed light on the social and institutional forces that shaped this image.