Portret van een onbekende man, mogelijk de heer Heinsberger Possibly 1849

This is Johann Peter Berghaus's 1869 portrait of an unknown man, possibly Mr. Heinsberger. It was made using lithography. Lithography was the new media of its time, offering a more affordable way to make multiple copies of an image. In the 19th century, this portrait would have been aimed at a middle-class audience, keen to mimic the customs of the upper classes, who had more traditionally commissioned painted portraits. The man’s smart suit indicates a certain level of affluence and his earnest gaze projects respectability. The lithographic technique itself played a democratizing role, opening up portraiture to a wider audience, and changing the function of portraiture itself. It catered to the aspirations of a rising social class. Understanding the historical context of art means looking at all the social factors that determine its production and consumption. Things like census records, newspaper advertisements, and technical manuals help us understand the world in which this portrait was created.