Portret van een jongen 1876 - 1881

This is a portrait of a boy by William Flower Maltby, captured in a photograph of just 103 by 64 millimeters. Notice the boy's pose, arms crossed and leaning on a small table filled with books. It's a gesture of self-containment, perhaps defiance, that echoes through centuries. Think of ancient Roman sculptures where emperors adopt a similar stance to convey authority and control. Here, on a child, it's a study in miniature, an early assumption of the burdens of adulthood. The books beneath his arms act as a symbolic representation of the weight of knowledge and expectation pressing down on young shoulders. Books, often symbols of enlightenment and learning, in this context, appear as almost a physical weight. The meaning has shifted, shaped by social changes, and the expectations placed on the individual. This photograph is more than just a record; it's a tiny mirror reflecting our collective anxieties and aspirations. A mirror in which we all, as viewers, can see our reflections through time.