Portret van Johannes Christoffel van Kesteren 1842 - 1900

This print, whose author is unknown, shows us Johannes Christoffel van Kesteren. We can see how portraiture in the Netherlands offered a way to visualise social standing. The dark suit, the stern look and the solid book give van Kesteren the appearance of a serious and important man. But how would we know more about him? Looking at who commissioned the work and how it was displayed would be a good start. Perhaps it hung in a public building, or was made for family members. If we knew where it was intended to be seen, this would give us an insight into the social function of the image, and the values it was intended to convey. To understand images like this one, historians often need to research into archives. Here we can find letters, receipts and other documents that reveal the complex negotiations that lie behind the creation of art.