Portret van een onbekende man, aangeduid als Alexis M. Grömong 1871 - 1885

Bernhard Hakelier created this small portrait photograph of a man identified as Alexis M. Grömong in the late 19th century. During this era, portraiture became more accessible thanks to technological advances in photography. The subject's attire and composed demeanor speak volumes about the social expectations of masculinity at the time. He is posed formally, which was typical for bourgeois portraiture, but there’s also a kind of quiet confidence in his gaze. The image suggests the sitter's class and perhaps something of his aspirations, reflecting how clothing and presentation were carefully managed aspects of identity. There's an emotional complexity here as we consider the power dynamics inherent in portraiture and the sitter's role in constructing his own image for posterity. The portrait becomes a stage for performing identity and negotiating social status, and the photograph, which is itself a tool of democracy, flattens this man into a type.