Arnold Aletrino c. 1860 - 1915

Willem Witsen made this portrait of Arnold Aletrino using photography, but the date remains unknown. Aletrino was a Dutch physician and writer, who advocated for LGBT rights. In a time of great social change in the Netherlands, which saw growing tolerance and acceptance, Aletrino was part of a new wave of outspoken activists. Consider the power of imagery, and the politics of portraiture. A photograph creates a public image of its sitter, fixing it in time and circulating it widely. In this context, a portrait is a self-conscious act. How should one present oneself to the world? What visual codes should be adopted? The historian might ask what the existence of this portrait suggests about the institutional and social conditions in which it was made. To whom was it circulated? How does it relate to the history of LGBT rights in the Netherlands? By looking at social and institutional histories, we begin to understand the complex role of the image in modern life.