Portret van een jonge man met vlinderstrik 1860 - 1880

This is a small portrait photograph of a young man with a bow tie, created by F.D. van Rosmalen & Zoon. Photographs like this one were affordable and accessible to a growing middle class in the Netherlands, during a time of significant social and economic change. Photography studios emerged as important social spaces, where individuals and families could present themselves according to prevailing norms of respectability and status. Looking closely, the young man’s attire and carefully arranged hair suggest a desire to project a particular image. The formal pose, combined with the framing of the image, speaks to the conventions of portraiture at the time. But beyond the individual, this photograph also reflects broader social trends, such as the rise of consumer culture and the democratisation of representation. Understanding this image fully requires looking into the archives of photography studios and exploring the visual culture of the 19th century Netherlands. It is through such historical research that we can better appreciate the complex relationship between art, identity, and society.