Portret van een jonge man 1865 - 1874

This portrait of a young man was captured by the IJpma Brothers, employing photographic processes that were becoming increasingly democratized at the time. The albumen print, created through a meticulous chemical process involving coating paper with egg whites and silver nitrate, was the dominant photographic printing method of the 19th century. This particular example is a testament to the way photography was used to capture likeness. In the studio, under controlled conditions, the sitter’s likeness was rendered through a lens and preserved via chemistry. What’s particularly interesting here is the accessibility of this medium. While traditionally portraiture was reserved for the wealthy, photography allowed the middle class to participate in image-making. The IJpma Brothers were part of a wave of photographers who made portraiture more accessible, capturing the visages of everyday individuals and altering the social meaning of portraiture itself.