Portret van een man met baard 1860 - 1900

Theodor Meuwsen captured this portrait of a bearded man using the photographic techniques available at the time. In many ways, portrait photography in this era, likely late 19th century, reflected the social conventions of painted portraiture. The subject is formally dressed, gazing directly at the camera in a manner reminiscent of how aristocracy would commission portraits of themselves to demonstrate status and project power. The relatively small size of this portrait, along with the fact that it is housed within an album page, suggests its function as a personal keepsake, a common use of photography among the rising middle classes. Yet the very act of capturing an image democratized portraiture. Photography allowed a wider segment of the population to participate in image-making, challenging the traditional hierarchies of representation. Historians might explore photographic archives, social histories of the period, and biographical details of both the photographer and the sitter to further understand the social context. The meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.