Studioportret van een jonge man met krullend haar c. 1863 - 1866

This is Hermanus Philippus Jacobus Schuiten’s photographic ‘Studioportret van een jonge man met krullend haar’ at the Rijksmuseum. The photograph presents a young man, his gaze direct and engaging, set against a muted background. Schuiten masterfully employs sepia tones, giving the image a timeless quality. The subject's curly hair and formal attire create a dynamic interplay of textures and lines. This portrait, beyond its representational value, is a study in contrasts: the soft curls against the rigid lines of his suit, the subtle gradations of light and shadow defining his features. The photograph employs a semiotic system; each element from the hairstyle to the clothing, signifies codes of class, identity and representation. Schuiten's work engages with the burgeoning field of photography, where the interplay between the real and the represented invites ongoing interpretation. The formal qualities of this portrait allow us to explore how photography reshaped ideas about identity, representation and the gaze in the 19th century.