Portret van een kale man c. 1857 - 1870

This albumen silver print of a bald man was made by Woodbury & Page. It is currently undated. The image is visually defined by the sitter's formal dress: his suit, bow tie, and a small medal pinned to his lapel. Such features help us to imagine the cultural context for this portrait. In nineteenth-century Europe, photography became increasingly accessible, but studio portraits remained a mark of middle-class status. The subject is not only wealthy enough to afford such a portrait, but also visibly invested in the visual codes of bourgeois respectability. The institution of the photographic studio played a key role in defining those codes. Further research into Woodbury & Page might help to illuminate the social values that their business promoted. Through an understanding of photographic history, we can recognize that this image is not just a record of a man, but a product of specific cultural and economic forces.