Portret van een man met snor in uniform met zwaard, aangeduid als Kellema 1863 - 1875

This is Heinrich Steinhauer’s diminutive photograph, "Portret van een man met snor in uniform met zwaard, aangeduid als Kellema." The visual organization here is fairly straightforward: an oval frame constrains the sitter’s formal portrait. His stern gaze, emphasized by a meticulously groomed moustache, meets ours directly, flanked by the rigid lines of his military attire and the glint of a sword. The photograph's appeal lies in its articulation of power and representation. The subject, encased in layers of uniform and framed by gilded ovals, adheres to codes of military dress, conveying authority and status. Yet, the intimacy afforded by the photograph's small scale invites closer inspection. The sitter’s identity is distilled into a set of symbols: moustache, uniform, sword. This portrait prompts us to consider how photography, even at its most formal, offers a stage for constructing identity through a semiotic system of visual signs and cultural codes.