Portret van een onbekende man met snor 1896 - 1898

This is a portrait of an unknown man with a mustache by Grundner & Abich. The lack of information we have about the artwork pushes us to consider how photography, particularly portraiture, was used in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to solidify social identities. Looking at the man’s attire – the suit, the tie, the carefully groomed mustache – we can guess that this was a man of means. He is intentionally presenting himself in a respectable, ‘bourgeois’ manner. In that era, the practice of photography studios producing portraits played a crucial role in constructing and disseminating particular ideals of masculinity and class identity. Consider what it means to have one’s image taken, to be framed in this way. How did individuals actively participate in shaping their own representation, and how were they influenced by the prevailing societal norms and expectations? This photograph makes us reflect on how identity is both performed and perceived.