Portret van (vermoedelijk) een Surinaamse jongen 1883 - 1895

Curator: Walking through the Rijksmuseum galleries, we find ourselves drawn to "Portret van (vermoedelijk) een Surinaamse jongen," a gelatin-silver print realized sometime between 1883 and 1895, attributed to Franz Reissig. What strikes you most when you first look at it? Editor: The stillness. He’s so young, and there’s this incredible seriousness in his expression. It’s more than just posing for a portrait; there’s a quiet intensity, almost a stoicism. The tones add to that, a sort of hushed sepia, muting any exuberance. Curator: It's certainly a very thoughtful study in composure. Reissig, working within the tradition of realist portraiture, presents the boy with dignity. Note how the oval frame further concentrates our gaze upon his features, directing attention to his gaze and, therefore, towards his inner world. Editor: And he’s dressed so formally, with the tie and jacket—yet, there’s also something about his haircut, almost close-cropped, that feels starkly different, that doesn't entirely fit with that era’s presentation of bourgeois elegance. It's such a fascinating combination. Is it a reflection of assimilation perhaps? Or resistance? Or a bit of both? Curator: That's a wonderfully sensitive reading. In some ways, the lack of definitive context opens a space for speculation – his very identity marked as “vermoedelijk,” or “presumed,” highlighting the limited documentation around people of color in this historical period. It is through that symbolic void that the artwork transcends the individuality of its subject to speak for something collective: erasure and a reclaiming of identity. Editor: Precisely. Looking at it now, the very fact it hangs here is important. An act of bearing witness to a past often overlooked. You know, he almost becomes a stand-in for the stories untold. Curator: And it quietly invites the viewer to wonder and remember—about lives lived and histories yet to be fully understood. Editor: It’s a privilege to spend even just a few minutes considering it.