Portret van een onbekende jongen, leunend over een stoel 1879 - 1880

N.B. Ogren made this small photographic portrait of an unknown boy, leaning on a chair, in an unknown place at an unknown date. The image, mounted on card, provides a rare glimpse into the world of nineteenth-century childhood, a period when photography was becoming increasingly accessible to the middle classes. The boy's formal attire speaks to the conventions of the time. He wears a dark suit with a high collar, and his hair is neatly parted. The chair, draped with tassels, is likely a studio prop, a nod to bourgeois respectability. But who was this boy? Was he from a wealthy family eager to capture his likeness, or was this a memento for a family member going away? Without further documentation, the boy's identity and the photograph's purpose remain a mystery. Yet, the image invites us to consider the burgeoning culture of photography, and the ways in which it captured and shaped the image of childhood. Historical archives and genealogical records may reveal more, but for now, the boy remains an intriguing enigma.