Studioportret van een staande man met snor bij een tafel, hij draagt een lange jas c. 1863 - 1866

This is a photographic portrait of a mustachioed man, made by the Abdullah Frères studio sometime in the late 19th century. Photography, a relatively new medium at the time, involved a complex interplay of chemistry, optics, and skilled labor. The final sepia image results from a highly developed industrial process, which starts with the mining of silver and other minerals. The sitter, dressed in a smart suit and tie, suggests a certain social status, and his choice to be captured in this new medium speaks to the democratization of portraiture. Consider the labor involved in producing not just the photograph, but also the man’s clothing, the books on the table, and even the table itself. This image serves as a window into the material culture of the time, reminding us that every object, every image, is the result of countless hands and resources, interwoven with social and economic narratives.