Studioportret van een staande man met zijn rechterhand in de borst van zijn jas gestoken en in zijn andere hand een boek. c. 1863 - 1866

This studio portrait of a standing man was made by Frederik Kayser, though the exact date is unknown. It’s a photograph, of course – a relatively new medium at the time, which democratized portraiture. Prior to photography, having your likeness captured was the domain of the wealthy, who could afford to commission a painting or sculpture. The rise of photography meant that for the first time, people of more modest means could have their picture taken. This image, with its carefully arranged backdrop and props, speaks to that new possibility. We see a man in middle class dress, in a considered pose. Yet the very process of photography – the careful composition, the long exposure time – reveals a different kind of labor, not just the sitter’s patience but the photographer’s skill in manipulating light and chemistry. It is these elements, of material and making, that bring the image to life.