Portret van Sonny Boissevain 1895

Carel Eduard Westerborg made this portrait of Sonny Boissevain sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. Small photographic portraits like this one were immensely popular among the middle classes in Europe. These carte-de-visite photographs were often collected in albums and shared amongst friends and family. Photography studios popped up in cities all over Europe to cater to the growing demand. Westerborg, whose name you can see printed at the bottom of the card, had studios in Arnhem and Utrecht in the Netherlands. The popularity of photography had a profound effect on painting. As photography became more common and more sophisticated, portrait painters were forced to develop new strategies to justify their work. Photography democratized the portrait and changed the function and meaning of art. Understanding the context in which art is made is vital. To find out more about the culture of photography in the Netherlands, explore archives and collections of photography from this period.