Portret van een man met bakkebaarden en een snor 1860 - 1900

This photograph shows a man with sideburns and a mustache, and was made by Tandy and Co. Notice the man's meticulously groomed facial hair, framing his face with an air of respectability. The mustache, a symbol of virility and social standing, can be traced back through centuries of portraiture. Consider the beards of ancient Assyrian kings, emblems of power and divine authority. But here, in this intimate photograph, the mustache takes on a new dimension, a marker of bourgeois identity in a rapidly changing world. The photograph itself, a new technology, further democratizes image-making, allowing for the widespread dissemination of these symbols. Just as the Renaissance saw the revival of classical forms, this man’s mustache invokes a sense of timeless dignity. Observe how such symbols constantly resurface, and are transformed, echoing through history, ever adapting to new contexts and cultural meanings.