Portret van een zittende man met boeken 1863 - 1871

This is Willem Cornelis van Dijk’s small photograph, “Portret van een zittende man met boeken.” Photography in the 19th century became a powerful tool in shaping societal perceptions and representations of the individual, and was particularly marked by class distinctions. Here, a seated man is presented with the accoutrements of learning, styled in the trappings of the middle class. This carefully constructed image speaks to the sitter’s aspirations and social standing. Yet, photography, although striving for objectivity, was always marked by the photographer’s perspective and the sitter's self-fashioning. Portraits such as this one underscore how photography both democratized and formalized identity, offering a glimpse into the complex interplay between self-perception and social expectations. This photograph invites us to reflect on how we, too, perform identity through images.