Portret van een onbekende man aan een tafel 1855 - 1885

This photograph of an unknown man was created by Constantin et Cie. The studio name suggests a continental European origin and therefore cultural context. In the image, the man is seated beside a table with a book and a decorative bowl on it, perhaps signalling his status as a scholar or someone with intellectual interests. In nineteenth-century Europe, the rise of photography democratized portraiture, making it accessible to a broader segment of the middle class. Studios like Constantin et Cie played a crucial role in this process, offering standardized yet personalized images to clients eager to participate in the modern visual culture. Understanding the social conditions that shaped artistic production during this period requires us to look at the economic and technological factors that enabled the proliferation of photographic studios, as well as the cultural values that drove the demand for portraiture. Resources such as studio directories and genealogical records help reveal a more comprehensive understanding of this image.