Fotoreproductie van een geschilderd zelfportret door Georg von Rosen before 1878

This is a photographic reproduction of a painted self-portrait by Georg von Rosen, captured by Johannes Jaeger, active in the late 19th century. Jaeger’s photograph invites us to consider the layers of representation at play. Here we have a photograph of a painting of the artist, Rosen, and his self-image. This image exists in a time when photography was changing how people understood representation and identity. The portrait captures Rosen in a pose of bourgeois respectability, signaling his status and self-perception within the societal norms of his era. The photograph also reflects the cultural values and expectations of masculinity prevalent in the 19th century, emphasizing formality and self-assuredness. The stiff, formal presentation speaks to how identity was carefully constructed and presented in public life. The photograph is a document of a specific time and place, inviting us to consider the complex interplay between art, identity, and representation.