Portret van Jacobus Antony Waleson in een militair uniform met militaire Willemsorde before 1865

Curator: There’s something profoundly still about this albumen print, taken before 1865, titled “Portret van Jacobus Antony Waleson in een militair uniform met militaire Willemsorde” – quite a mouthful! – made by Woodbury & Page. It's housed right here at the Rijksmuseum. What strikes you first? Editor: The weight. All that solemnity pressed onto this little rectangle. He looks like he's carrying the burden of an empire, doesn't he? And the stark, almost ghostly quality of the early photography just amplifies it. Curator: It's interesting you say "weight" – it certainly captures the gravitas of military portraiture in the 19th century. These images served as powerful tools of representation, cementing the image of military leaders. Look closely; the sharpness, the almost painful precision of the details, was vital. Editor: Painful indeed! I imagine sitting still long enough to get this level of detail was not a pleasant experience. The way those medals seem to glint, they're practically shouting his accomplishments. It makes me wonder about the man beneath the uniform. Was he as stolid as the image suggests, or was there fire behind those eyes? Curator: Well, that's the conundrum of any portrait, isn't it? And perhaps intensified by the technology of the time. Photography was still quite new; it carried with it an aura of authenticity, as though it revealed an objective truth. Editor: But it doesn’t, does it? It constructs just as much as it captures. The way he's posed, the light… Everything's so deliberately curated to project power. It's propaganda as much as it is portraiture. You can see why he's proud displaying his medals of valor and other distinctions. Curator: Precisely. Early photography was often commissioned, designed to convey status. We see here someone deeply implicated in that theatre. That Military William Order isn’t just decoration; it’s a carefully positioned symbol of loyalty, bravery, duty. Editor: Looking at it now, I get this odd sense of both permanence and fragility. That this tiny print, capturing a man and a moment so long ago, can still speak to us, even provoke a reaction...It's rather magical, wouldn't you agree? Curator: I wholeheartedly agree. A testament, perhaps, to the enduring power of images, both as records and as carefully constructed representations. The Rijksmuseum is so very lucky to host such artwork in their astounding collection.