Portret van Johann Adam von Itzstein 1840 - 1855

Johann Georg Nordheim created this print of Johann Adam von Itzstein using etching and drypoint. Without a date we can still situate this work within the social conventions of nineteenth-century portraiture, a format generally reserved for those of elevated social standing. Notice how von Itzstein's gaze meets ours with a quiet confidence, his dark coat and neatly arranged white shirt speak to his affluence and status. As a portrait, it does not seek to break from the traditional representation of male authority. But consider for a moment what this image communicates about the intersections of power, class, and representation. This portrait freezes a moment, inviting us to consider the individual within the larger narrative of nineteenth-century European society. It challenges us to reflect on who is historically deemed worthy of representation, and the stories these images tell, or perhaps conceal.