Portret van Joseph Warder c. 1688 - 1729

Hendrick Hulsbergh created this engraving of Joseph Warder, a physician, sometime before 1729. Positioned within an oval frame, Warder’s gaze confronts us directly; he is adorned in the garb of the 18th century elite: powdered wig, cravat, and scholarly robe. What are we to make of this formal depiction? As a physician, Warder occupied a privileged place in society, which is visually communicated through very particular symbols of status. The books in the background are as much a signifier of his profession, as they are of his erudition. But this image is also very intimate. The lines of the engraving, the softness of the image, feels personal. Portraits like this served to immortalize the sitter, solidifying their position in the cultural memory of the time. But they also allow us to reflect on the individual and their place within the larger societal structure. We’re left to consider the ways identity and representation intertwine.