Silhouetportret van Anthony Hendrik van der Boon Mesch 1809 - 1848

Pieter Barbiers IV rendered this silhouette portrait of Anthony Hendrik van der Boon Mesch in the Netherlands, sometime in the first half of the 19th century. Silhouettes were a popular and accessible form of portraiture, particularly amongst the middle classes. This fashion emerged in a period of significant social change. It was a time when traditional hierarchies were being questioned, and new forms of identity and representation were emerging. The sitter’s clothing indicates that he was a clergyman. The church held considerable social power, and this portrait can be seen as a statement of identity within this framework. Analyzing portraits like this allows historians to consider the social and economic factors that determined who was represented and how. By consulting genealogical records, church archives, and period newspapers, we can understand the role that individuals like Mesch played in their communities. In this way, we discover more about how institutions shape individual identity.