Man met ronde hoed met veer 1748 - 1795

Jan Chalon produced this etching of a 'Man with round hat and feather' in the late 18th century. The image presents the sitter as an individual. But it also locates him within the social conventions of the time. The Netherlands was a mercantile society in which fashion played an important role in establishing one’s social position. The type of clothing, style of hat, and general attention to one’s public appearance provided visual clues about one's profession, social class and personal aspiration. The identity of the sitter is unknown but we can assume that he was of comfortable means and sought to project a certain level of refinement. The etching medium itself was undergoing changes. From a method of reproducing existing artworks it was becoming an artistic medium in its own right. Artists were interested in exploring its potential for the rapid production and distribution of images. The image then exists as a cultural object, shaped by economic factors, social forces, and institutional histories. This is something scholars investigate with social and cultural research.