Portret van twee mannen c. 1870 - 1890

This photograph of two men was taken by Albert Greiner in the 19th century. The photograph is an artifact of its time, laden with symbols of power, status, and masculinity. Take note of the seated man. His posture and attire are not merely personal choices, but a calculated presentation of self. One leg elegantly rests over the other, he leans back, his eyes are forward. This deliberate display echoes through centuries of portraiture. Consider the Roman emperors depicted in similar poses, symbols of authority and control. Yet, here, in this 19th-century portrait, the symbol has transformed. It speaks of a different kind of power—one rooted in bourgeois respectability and industrial progress. It is a display of a modern kind of control. These symbols, gestures, and poses are not static; they evolve and resurface, carrying echoes of the past into the present.