Lezende man, zittend aan tafel 1818

Christiaan Julius Lodewijk Portman created this red chalk drawing of a man reading at a table sometime in the first half of the 19th century. The subject’s intense focus on the book draws us into his private world of learning and reflection. The work reflects the era’s emphasis on education and self-improvement, yet it also hints at the complex relationship between literacy, class, and power. Who had access to such knowledge, and who was excluded? Portman, working in a period of significant social change, captures a quiet moment that belies the underlying tensions of his time. The choice of a scholarly pursuit as a subject—reading—validates and monumentalizes the sitter’s intellectual life. The drawing invites us to reflect on the simple yet profound act of reading. The man is engrossed in his book, surrounded by stacks of others, which encourages us to appreciate the power of reading and the complex identities that it shapes.