Portret van een hond 1898 - 1915

Curator: Here we have a photograph entitled "Portret van een hond," or "Portrait of a Dog," attributed to Wilhelm Moonen and dating from approximately 1898 to 1915. Editor: There’s something so poignantly simple about it, isn't there? The dog sits so patiently, looking straight ahead with big, round eyes. Curator: Yes, and what I find interesting is the context of early photography. Here, it’s being used to memorialize a pet, elevating it, in a way, to the status previously reserved for human portraiture. Think about the social implications of pet ownership at this time. Editor: Exactly. It also shows an understanding of the material. I wonder about the process – what type of film or print was used, and where was it produced? Were Moonen’s materials readily accessible, or would there have been a great deal of effort involved in importing them to the area, from factories and workshops unknown. It certainly gives some perspective on cost for what at first sight could be considered an unremarkable photograph. Curator: Good point. I imagine it provided the owners with a way to display their social standing too – the cost involved suggests at least some modicum of wealth on their behalf, so this isn't simply about animal ownership or love of pets. The photographic portrait had gained wide acceptance as a tool for expressing social standing in mainstream culture – to adopt it for one's pet suggests an advanced perception of how such things would be interpreted by a large segment of society. Editor: The mount surrounding the picture – part of the means of production – is very stylish. I imagine this came at additional cost. To mount something so humbly, yet respectfully – in a frame so considered. Fascinating. Curator: Indeed, a very insightful comment that allows us to reassess what would otherwise seem like a straightforward photograph. Editor: And for me, a renewed appreciation for the material – and of Moonen as a producter and supplier to what may have become, through success with photography like this, a discerning client base.