Portret van een jonge man in uniform, staand bij een balustrade 1870 - 1897

Lodewijk Hendrikus Serré made this photograph of a young man in uniform, standing by a balustrade, in the Netherlands, likely toward the end of the 19th century. The image speaks to the social and cultural position of young men at that time. The photograph tells us a lot about Dutch society at that moment. The subject’s military dress is rendered in great detail, alluding to a culture of militarization and perhaps also colonialism at the time. Photography's rise coincided with a rise in European imperialism, and images like this are a key tool for cementing ideas about nationhood, as well as for enforcing social hierarchies. This young man is very likely from an upper-class background and the picture would serve to confirm his place within a culture of nation and empire. To understand the image more fully, historians might consult military records and genealogical sources, which can reveal the identity of the sitter and his place in the social order. By understanding more about the picture’s social context, we can understand its broader cultural meaning.