Portret van een onbekende man 1888 - 1891

F.D. van Rosmalen Jr. produced this portrait of an unknown man in Amsterdam, probably in the late 19th century. Photography studios blossomed across Europe during this period. The new medium democratized image-making, extending portraiture beyond the reach of the upper classes who could afford to commission a painting. Yet, social distinctions persisted. The sitter's suit, tie and neatly groomed beard tell us something about the man: his middle-class status and perhaps his professional occupation. His slightly averted gaze suggests something of his personality. We can use archives of photographs like this as historical sources. Who was this man, and how did he live? The answers to those questions are now lost, but we can reconstruct something of his life and times by looking at census records, newspaper archives, and other historical documents. In doing so, we might learn about the wider social and institutional structures that defined his world.