Portret van een man 1873 - 1900

Carl Wilhelm Bauer created this portrait of a man in the Netherlands, using photography, a relatively new medium at the time. This small, formal portrait speaks volumes about the social conventions of the time. Note the man's attire; the suit and tie are markers of middle-class respectability. Photography in the 19th century, while becoming more accessible, still carried a certain weight of formality. It was often used to document individuals within the context of family albums, thus cementing social identities and relationships. The photograph’s presence in the Rijksmuseum underscores the evolving role of photography from a personal keepsake to a culturally significant artifact. Understanding the historical context through sources like archival records, social histories, and photographic journals helps us appreciate how such images contributed to the construction of social memory and identity.