Profiel van man met bril, naar links 1845

Georgius Jacobus Johannes van Os made this small graphite drawing of a man wearing glasses in the Netherlands sometime in the first half of the 19th century. While we don't know who the sitter was, the presence of spectacles suggests a man of some learning, likely middle class or above. Although Van Os was primarily a painter of still lifes, this sketch gives us an interesting glimpse into the social codes of the time. The man’s receding hairline and sideburns mark him as mature, while the glasses suggest intellectual pursuits. We can research the fashion and material culture of the Netherlands in this period using sources such as newspapers, inventories of estates, and, of course, other portraits. This helps us to understand the values and ideals of the Dutch middle classes, which, in turn, gives us a fuller picture of the culture in which Van Os was working.