Self-Portrait 1900

Carl Haag, a German-born artist working in London, painted this self-portrait in 1905. The piece provides insight into the image that Haag wished to project later in his life. The abundant display of medals points to a desire to be seen as accomplished and honored by institutions of power. Haag had worked as court painter to the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and had traveled to the Middle East where he made paintings of local leaders, works that fit well into an orientalist tradition. He seems to have been interested in legitimizing himself as a professional artist within the established hierarchy. Note the self-conscious way in which he has signed the painting in the lower right. To understand Haag's artistic persona, one might consider a variety of resources from exhibition reviews to genealogical research to histories of patronage and empire in the late 19th century.