C. C. Burmeister 1874

Carl Leonard Sandberg created this print of C. C. Burmeister using an unidentified method. Burmeister, identified as a ‘maskinbygger’ or machine builder, looks out at us, inviting consideration of the relationship between identity, labor, and representation. As an industrialist during a period of significant technological advancement, Burmeister would have occupied a position of considerable influence in society. Sandberg’s portrait, in turn, reflects the power dynamics of 19th-century Denmark, where industrial progress was intertwined with the rise of a bourgeois class. This image both reflects and shapes perceptions of industrial identity, presenting Burmeister as a figure of authority and respectability. In many ways this is a traditional representation of a man of industry, yet it prompts questions about whose stories are told and how we can read between the lines of these representations. As you consider this image, reflect on the emotional and social narratives it conveys, and how it challenges us to think critically about the relationship between art, power, and identity.