Portret van Simon Bark, zittend aan tafel 1877 - 1886

This is a photograph, a 'carte de visite', made by P. Siewers & Zoon. The photographic print, mounted on card stock, was a popular format for portraiture during the mid-19th century. The process involved coating a glass plate with light-sensitive chemicals, exposing it in a camera, and then developing the image. This yielded a negative, which could then be used to make multiple positive prints on paper. These would then be glued to the card. The 'carte de visite' emerged as a collectible format, and the industrialization of photography meant that portraits became accessible to a broader segment of society. Although this particular example depicts a boy formally posed, it also hints at the democratization of image-making during the period, making photography less of a rarefied art and more of a widely available commodity. Looking closely at the materials and making of this photograph allows us to understand its significance, challenging the traditional distinction between fine art and everyday life.