Portret van een man, aangeduid als Van Slingeland 1867 - 1879

Kannemans & Zoon made this photographic portrait of a man believed to be Van Slingeland, but dating the work is difficult. The photograph itself and its presentation give us clues. The carte-de-visite, as this format was known, became wildly popular in Europe and the United States from the 1860s. This small card would have been relatively cheap to produce, which explains its popularity across social classes. Photography allowed for the creation of a mass medium, and with that came the desire to collect photographs of famous people, such as royalty and politicians, or simply portraits of friends and family. The rise of photography as a popular medium also affected painting; some artists used photographs as reference material, while others focused on subjects that photography couldn't capture. Understanding the historical context and social function of this photograph requires further research into the photographic studios of Kannemans & Zoon, the subject Van Slingeland, and the practice of collecting cartes-de-visite. Only then can we understand its true significance as a cultural artifact.