Portret van een jongen 1860 - 1865

This is Johannes Baer's 'Portret van een jongen', a small photograph made sometime in the late 19th century. During this time, photography became more accessible, offering new ways to capture and represent identity. This portrait encapsulates the rigid social expectations of the era, particularly around class and masculinity. Notice how the boy is formally dressed. The trappings of wealth, like the ornate table, signal the family’s status. Yet, there is a softness in the boy's gaze and posture. He holds a pair of glasses loosely, as if caught between the performance of adulthood and the reality of boyhood. Photographs like these offer us a glimpse into the emotional lives of people from the past. They invite us to consider the tension between public image and private experience, and to reflect on how identities are both constructed and felt.