Portret van een man met bakkebaarden 1873 - 1892

Curator: Here we have an albumen print from between 1873 and 1892, titled "Portret van een man met bakkebaarden" - Portrait of a man with sideburns. Editor: The sepia tones give it such a ghostly feel, almost like peering into the past, literally. It's a stark, simple composition, drawing all the focus to his face. Curator: Indeed. Portraiture served a vital social function, memorializing status and family lineage. Consider how these meticulously crafted photographs democratized access to portraiture itself, moving it beyond the realm of the painted elite. The elaborate attire speaks of social ambition. Editor: I'm curious about the labor that went into these photographic prints. Someone had to prepare the glass plates, mix the chemicals, and painstakingly print each image, layer by layer. Each object embodies the specific materials involved: the glass plate negative, the albumin-coated paper. How would his clothes and bowtie be perceived by a 21st century viewer. Curator: The sideburns speak volumes, don't they? Their specific styling indicates adherence to period trends, but perhaps even hint at a certain masculine ideal – power, strength, rootedness in place and family. I wonder how this photographic rendering aimed to embody status in ways beyond painted portraiture. Editor: Absolutely, the sideburns contribute, along with his slightly formal suit, and the backdrop. These choices reflect the desire to control appearances through consumerism and materials, as much as to conform. The individual, framed within a particular social and material order. The labor involved in creating the print is like a hidden story beneath the surface of a neat bourgeois facade. Curator: Precisely. And viewing it now, we see both a person and a relic – an icon representing its era while remaining somewhat unknowable, still resonant, wouldn't you agree? Editor: Exactly. It makes me consider not only how he wanted to present himself to society, but what aspects of social hierarchy and production the portrait conceals, what stories we need to start revealing.