Portret van Claude August Crommelin (1840-1874), zittend naast een tafel met glazen en fles 1865

This photographic print, dating back to the 19th century, presents a composed portrait of Claude August Crommelin, set alongside contrasting images. The portrait itself, with its depiction of Crommelin seated beside a table adorned with glasses and a bottle, speaks to the conventions of bourgeois portraiture in the Netherlands. The inclusion of the city canal scene and, more strikingly, the image of a family, challenges the singular narrative of individual success, alluding to the broader social fabric of the time. Consider how the family photograph may signify the rise of ethnography as a pseudo-science and the romanticization of the ‘noble savage.’ What makes this image particularly compelling is its layering of social realities, inviting us to consider the position of the sitter within a wider, rapidly changing society. As historians, we can look to sources such as period photography journals, social surveys, and family archives to better understand the nuances of class, identity, and representation at play here. Ultimately, this photograph reminds us that the meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.