Portret van een man met snor en baard 1850 - 1900

Editor: Here we have Friedrich Singer's "Portret van een man met snor en baard," made sometime between 1850 and 1900, using albumen print photography. The oval format gives it a sort of formal, historical feeling. What catches your eye when you look at this portrait? Curator: The beard, immediately. Notice how deliberately it's shaped, how much care was put into presenting that particular image. The beard, in that era, became a signifier - often signaling masculinity, wisdom, even a certain artistic leaning, a rebellion against clean-shaven conformity. Does it convey those attributes to you? Editor: I can see that. It’s not just a beard; it's a statement. Almost like the carefully chosen props in a painted portrait. Curator: Precisely! And the gaze - slightly averted, thoughtful. It invites the viewer to speculate. Albumen prints, especially in portraiture, allowed for a dissemination of images like never before, contributing to the rise of celebrity culture, almost creating secular icons of public and private citizens. This wasn't just a likeness; it was a carefully crafted presentation of self. Do you think that’s still happening today? Editor: Oh definitely, just think about social media profiles! Seeing the symbolism through the lens of photography really opens up a new way to read these old portraits. Curator: Indeed, it's all about decoding the image and recognizing its continued relevance to us. I found myself thinking how persistent this game of constructed personas remains throughout history and cultures.