Portret van een onbekende jongen met wandelstok 1902 - 1909

This is Anton Cornelis Thomann’s small photographic print, "Portret van een onbekende jongen met wandelstok". The young boy in the photograph is posed formally, his solemn expression and upright posture set against an ornate backdrop. Notice the sharp contrast between the crisp lines of his tailored coat and the soft, blurred details of the studio setting. This contrast creates a tension, drawing our eyes to the figure while simultaneously situating him within a constructed reality. The walking stick, an accessory typically associated with adulthood, introduces a layer of complexity. It disrupts our understanding of age and authority, blurring the lines between boyhood and maturity. Thomann uses this visual language to destabilize the fixed notions of identity. This allows us to consider how social roles and personal attributes are represented through constructed symbols.