Portret van een man met bril en baard 1850 - 1900

This portrait of a man with glasses and a beard was created by Barraud & Jerrard using an albumen print. Note the photograph’s intimate scale and the subject's relaxed posture. The sepia tones lend a soft, almost nostalgic quality to the image. The subject is framed within a rectangular border, a structure that both contains and isolates him, emphasizing his individuality while also placing him within a standardized format typical of portrait photography of the time. The composition is carefully arranged, with the man positioned slightly off-center. This asymmetry destabilizes the conventional portrait and introduces a subtle tension, a silent dialogue between the subject and the viewer. The man’s gaze, though partially obscured by his spectacles, directs our attention, suggesting an invitation to look beyond the surface. The texture of the print itself, with its fine grain and tonal gradations, adds another layer of complexity. These material qualities remind us of the photograph’s status as an object, a construction, not merely a transparent window onto reality. Ultimately, this tension between representation and materiality invites us to consider how identity is both captured and constructed through the photographic medium.