Portret van een man met vlinderstrik 1875 - 1897

Curator: I’m drawn to the solemn, almost haunting presence in Eduard Heinrich Joseph Weismuller's gelatin silver print, "Portret van een man met vlinderstrik." It dates from sometime between 1875 and 1897. What is your first reaction to it? Editor: A wistful regard comes to mind. The subdued tonality evokes memories. He looks trapped in amber, a forgotten figure emerging from a bygone era. What does his bowtie whisper to you? Curator: It feels performative, suggesting societal constraints rather than authentic expression. A little sad, like a bird caught in a gilded cage, wouldn't you say? A bow becomes an arrow—something is pinned in place, or it sets intention—a destination! Editor: Indeed. The oval frame—reminiscent of antique lockets—amplifies the feeling of preservation, an object imbued with personal and cultural memory. It holds him still. Think of how photography was capturing so many people around this era as it took over as documentarian instead of painting... Curator: Do you think that shift is part of what weighs on the gaze in this picture? It feels that it should show this new ability of photos, or at least some kind of excitement for them. Maybe not in contrast, as it comes off here. I find his gaze avoids direct confrontation, suggesting introspection. His posture seems careful, and I wonder if he's considering who he wants to become to someone someday looking at this portrait, if he dares consider them at all! Editor: The gaze of early photography always carries a certain weight, because we know these people may well never see us as their future, or how we consume images. It's not always that an icon invites engagement, but this is something in this one. I appreciate how this era transformed portraits from symbols of wealth into relics of everyday existence. What seems extraordinary today was ubiquitous at that time—and look at him! Bowtie askew—imperfectly human and available to be knowable. Curator: Absolutely, a humble portrayal defying convention with an air of genuine modesty that transcends time, or perhaps embraces time as part of it all. Editor: In every generation of photographic portrait, as now, the eyes reveal—an ongoing saga told one face at a time, with bowties optionally included.