Portret van een militair met zijn hoed onder de arm c. 1860 - 1865

Curator: This striking photographic portrait dates from around 1860 to 1865. The sitter is unknown, but the title given to the piece is "Portrait of a Military Man with his Hat Under his Arm," attributed to Henri Falkenstein. Editor: Oh, he looks rather severe, doesn't he? It's the stern set of his jaw, I think. And all that braiding… Imagine the hours of labor poured into the manufacture of that uniform alone! Curator: Yes, the Realist style favored meticulous depiction. The photographic process, relatively new at the time, really captured the textures and details of the man’s uniform and even the light reflecting off the buttons. Editor: It does. But the stiffness, the formality… almost oppressive. I feel this says so much about 19th century military hierarchy and what it meant to be in power. All those rigid codes dictating how you stood, how you looked… The power relations baked right into the fabric, quite literally. Curator: Absolutely, you can see how those systems manifest physically. Yet there is an air of melancholic vulnerability too. Holding his hat so awkwardly, not quite ready to salute. Perhaps an invitation for reflection, a moment out of formation. Editor: Perhaps, but look at how small he is, presented on this carte-de-visite print. Easy to circulate, easy to consume and categorize… Makes me wonder how much of the 'vulnerability' is really just a function of the scale and medium? Another tool to reinforce, rather than subvert, authority. Curator: It's a delicate tension then – revealing, yet contained by convention. That very containment invites our scrutiny, wouldn’t you say? Editor: Exactly, a rich surface with layered complexity – the material speaking louder than perhaps intended. I find myself thinking about the socio-economic context of Falkenstein's studio – how did he get commissions? What was his social standing? Curator: And, of course, how our perception of the image evolves through its physical presence—now held within a digital landscape! The military man's likeness goes on, ever changed, endlessly multiplied. Editor: A powerful piece – both technically remarkable and socially poignant.