Portret van Benjamin Ulmann before 1884

This is a portrait of Benjamin Ulmann, created by an anonymous artist, and presented within a catalogue of the works of Jean and Emmanuel Benner. The portrait is interesting because it creates meaning through visual codes, cultural references, and historical associations. The catalogue was produced in France, most likely in the late 19th century, a time of significant institutional development for the arts, and the portrait is framed by allegorical figures of painting, sculpture and architecture. These figures point to the institutional power and influence of the Beaux-Arts tradition, and its effort to associate living artists with the cultural achievements of previous eras. The historian might ask: what was Ulmann’s relationship to the Benners, or the broader French art world? By studying archival resources like exhibition records, letters, and press clippings, we can begin to understand the social conditions that shaped artistic production at this moment.