Portret van Isaac Pfhaler 1805

This is Christoph-Wilhelm Bock's portrait of Isaac Pfahler. The monochromatic print captures Pfahler in profile, framed within an oval, gazing resolutely to the right. Prints like this one were often commissioned by the upper classes, reflecting their status and respectability in the late 18th century. Pfahler, identified here as an assessor and a secretary, embodies the era's emphasis on reason and order, ideals that were, of course, primarily accessible to white, upper-class men. This image serves as a reminder of how power and privilege were visually encoded and circulated during a time of significant social and political upheaval. The emotional weight of this portrait lies not just in Pfahler's likeness, but in the quiet assertion of authority it conveys. We are left to consider how such images reinforce social hierarchies and shape our understanding of history.