Portret van een zittende man met pijp in de hand 1878 - 1887

Curator: Looking at this photograph, it just feels like a slice of real life plucked straight from the late 19th century. What do you see first? Editor: That weariness, etched into every line of his face, you know? It speaks volumes. He is solid, grounded. Is this realism in photographic form? Curator: Precisely. The Rijksmuseum holds this work, titled "Portret van een zittende man met pijp in de hand," which roughly translates to “Portrait of a seated man with a pipe in hand." This photograph, dating from between 1878 and 1887, was created by the photographer Charles Binger. Editor: So, a portrait of an ordinary man elevates everyday life to art. The pipe feels significant here; a symbol of contemplation, perhaps? And the buttoned coat -- all very bourgeois! Curator: Possibly. His posture is particularly telling; he is clearly not posing to look sophisticated! It seems to want to reveal more of the era’s attitude toward masculinity than character. Editor: Or is it merely accepting reality, what you see is what you get, that feels like realism to me? The muted sepia tones only enhance the sense of time standing still. It is a man outside time, you could almost feel like that today. Curator: And I suppose this type of image serves as an archetype of sorts, resonating across time. After all, so much symbolism of the era in one little package: the posture, the clothing, the pipe... Editor: The real and raw on film, rather unusual in that period where studios retouched every wrinkle out of existence. He’s just… there, in all his everyday glory, ready to confront you across time. Curator: Binger captured more than a likeness; it looks like he captured a truth. A fragment of our past. Editor: Yes. I walk away thinking about all the unseen stories from centuries ago. Stories embedded within something so everyday, now given such emotional power.