Portret van G.J. Langhout 1888

Curator: This is a gelatin-silver print dating to 1888, entitled “Portret van G.J. Langhout," created by Willem Gerhardus Kuijer. Editor: What strikes me immediately is how deliberately posed it is, every element contributing to a story or a statement of identity. A rather melancholic statement, I might add, looking at the boy’s somber expression. Curator: It’s interesting you pick up on that melancholic air. Photographic portraiture in the late 19th century served a very different social function. Think about how access to images was radically changed; here photography captures a sense of middle-class aspiration. Look at his sailor suit. Editor: It does feel symbolic. Sailor suits were hugely popular for boys, weren’t they? Beyond mere fashion, what does it signify in the visual culture of that era? This speaks to me of societal expectations, of the roles young men were expected to assume, perhaps alluding to maritime power and adventure…a subtle encoding. Curator: Precisely! He clutches a book in his hand, another key symbol. Together with the suit it speaks of burgeoning possibilities through learning and through industry but carefully framed within a bourgeois domestic sphere. Consider too that the boy’s last name is included in the portrait title itself. This indicates who the intended viewer of the photograph would be. It also cements the image as a historical object meant for future viewers like ourselves. Editor: I notice also that the backdrop is a painted canvas; so even the setting is a construction, layering meaning upon meaning. Do you think Kuijer was aiming for something beyond just documenting Langhout's appearance? Curator: Most certainly, these carefully orchestrated portraits reveal societal ideals of the period as much as they depict the individual. He seems positioned carefully, so very proper with a slight touch of world weariness perhaps? The softness of gelatin silver adds another layer to his work overall I think. Editor: This image offers a valuable glimpse into the carefully crafted public identities of the time, it’s really revealing! Curator: Indeed, analyzing how social forces and individual agency intersect provides valuable insight.