Portret van een zittende man met laarzen c. 1870 - 1890

This portrait of a seated man with boots was produced by Römler & Hainspach’s photographic studio, active in Dresden and Zittau, Germany. Although undated, the image’s composition and the sitter’s apparel suggest it was made in the late nineteenth century. The sitter’s pipe, riding boots, and relaxed pose create an air of confident masculinity. He seems to be a man of leisure. Studios like Römler & Hainspach democratized portraiture and allowed the middle class to emulate the visual culture of the aristocracy. What does it mean to assume a pose? And how is identity communicated through consumer goods? By studying sources like fashion plates and business records, historians are better able to understand the complex interplay between individual agency and broader social forces. Far from being neutral records, photographs participated in the construction of modern identities.