Portret van een onbekende man met een snor c. 1870 - 1910

This portrait of an unknown man with a moustache was produced by Atelier Ideal in Bremen. The image itself speaks to the rise of the photographic studio and the increasing democratization of portraiture in Germany. Looking at the subject, we see a man of means, likely middle class, dressed in a three-piece suit and bow tie, complete with pocket watch chain. His confident posture and meticulously groomed moustache suggest a self-assured individual, someone who takes pride in his appearance and social standing. The photograph is stamped with the studio's name, an advertisement of sorts, indicating the growing commercialization of photography at the turn of the century. The question for the art historian is to examine the social conditions that made such an image possible. To understand this portrait fully, one would need to delve into the archives of Bremen, exploring the city's social and economic structures at the time. The meaning of this image is contingent on its social and institutional context.