Portret van Lewis Cohen Stuart c. 1851 - 1883

This is a portrait of Lewis Cohen Stuart by Johan Hendrik Hoffmeister. This portrait gives us insight into the visual culture and social dynamics of the time. Cohen Stuart, depicted with a stern look, is dressed in formal attire, reflecting the conventions of bourgeois representation. The artwork serves as a cultural artifact, embodying societal values and the visual language of status during the 19th century. Beyond its aesthetic qualities, portraiture in this period also functioned as a tool for constructing and solidifying identities within a rigid social structure. It is a reminder of the ways in which personal identity is always intertwined with broader social and historical forces.