Portret van een man c. 1840 - 1843

Sybrand Altmann made this portrait of a man in the Netherlands in the 19th century. It’s a drawing, so it was probably a study for a painting. If you think the man’s face seems to display a slightly skeptical expression, you’re not alone! The politics of imagery are complex, but portraiture in nineteenth-century Europe was closely tied to power, class, and social institutions. In the Netherlands, artists often worked for wealthy patrons, and their work reflected the values of the Dutch upper class. Looking at the details in the drawing, it appears to be a depiction of a bourgeois man, with his neat haircut. What was his position within the institutions of Dutch society? Was Altmann’s goal to flatter his sitter, or to critique the social order of his time? Finding out more about Altmann and his sitter might give us some clues. The meaning of this image is something that can be discovered through historical research!