Portret van Franz Ludwig Pfyffer 1759 - 1815

Heinrich Pfenninger created this print of Franz Ludwig Pfyffer, likely in Switzerland, sometime between 1749 and 1815. As a portrait, it speaks to the social conditions that enabled the making and distribution of images. The print employs conventions of portraiture, such as the subject's profile view and formal attire, to convey status and respectability. Consider the historical associations of portraiture with power and patronage. In a society marked by rigid social hierarchies, images like these played a crucial role in shaping public perception and reinforcing existing social norms. Prints such as this were not merely aesthetic objects. They actively participated in the construction of social identity and the perpetuation of power structures. As historians, we can consult period documents, letters, and institutional records to understand these prints' original context and trace their subsequent reception. These shed light on the complex social dynamics that shaped artistic production.