Portret van Theo van Hoytema, een sigaar rokend Possibly 1910

Laurent Verwey van Udenhout created this charcoal drawing of Theo van Hoytema, cigar in mouth, sometime in the early 20th century. The cigar, prominently held, speaks volumes beyond a mere smoking habit. Consider the symbolism of tobacco throughout history. Once a sacred ritual object among indigenous cultures, it transformed into a symbol of wealth, power, and leisure in Europe and beyond. One sees echoes of this transformation in numerous portraits across centuries, from grand aristocratic displays to casual depictions of bourgeois life. This small drawing reveals the complex interplay between personal identity and cultural symbols. The act of smoking here is less about individual pleasure and more about participation in a shared cultural theater. The cigar is a prop, a signifier deeply embedded with historical and social meaning, engaging with our collective memory and subconscious understanding of status, contemplation, and perhaps, even defiance. The image evokes a world of shared meanings, echoing through the corridors of time.