Portret van een man met bakkebaarden en hoge hoed 1862 - 1880

Matthijs Adolph Conen created this small portrait of a man with sideburns and a top hat. While we don’t know the sitter’s identity, the image is telling. Made sometime in the mid-19th century, it reflects the rise of the middle class in Europe and the new technologies available to them. Consider the cultural references here: the sitter's clothing and grooming speak to specific ideals of bourgeois masculinity. How does this inform our understanding of Dutch society in this era? Photography was also becoming increasingly accessible, making portraiture available to a broader segment of the population. This challenges the traditional role of portraiture, historically reserved for the elite. To fully appreciate this photograph, we must consider the social and technological context in which it was created. By exploring archives, museum collections, and historical studies, we can better understand the evolving role of art and representation in society.