Portret van een jonge man in militair uniform 1872 - 1887

Charles Binger made this photographic portrait of a young man in military uniform sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. The image presents us with a clean-cut young man, likely of middle-class origins, who is proudly wearing the uniform of the military, an institution of order, power, and national identity. The Netherlands, like other European countries at this time, was in a state of change, its social hierarchies shifting, but its imperial power still strong. Photography played a key role in the visual culture of the time, capturing images of individuals and helping them to perform their social roles. Historians interested in the social history of photography consult archives, newspapers, and personal documents. By putting such resources together, we can learn more about the complex ways in which visual culture intersected with power relations in the past.