Portret van Frederik Dekkers c. 1850

Leendert Springer created this portrait of Frederik Dekkers, likely during the first half of the 19th century. Images like these are revealing of the social structures of the time. Dekkers's professional status is suggested by the clothing he wears. The voluminous wig was a sartorial marker of status and belonging among European and North American elites, particularly among academics, judges, and clerics, from the mid-17th through the early 19th century. In this image, we are prompted to think about the relationship between status, institutions, and representation. To understand this image, one would need to research the sitter's profession and social standing. Likewise, understanding the institutions in which both sitter and artist operated is crucial to understanding how art reflected the values and power structures of its time.