Portret van twee onbekende mannen 1877 - 1897

Lodewijk Hendrikus Serré made this photograph of two unknown men in Utrecht at an unknown date. Carte-de-visite photographs like this one were wildly popular in the Netherlands and across Europe. Their standardization was an early form of mass media, as they were often traded or collected in albums. What can this image tell us about the social history of the time? Both men are wearing bowler hats and heavy coats, hinting at a middle-class status and the fashions of the time. Serré's studio imprint at the bottom is a reminder of the growing professionalization of photography as a commercial enterprise. One man holds a small framed picture, perhaps a sample of Serré's work or a personal memento. The stiffness of their poses reflects the formal conventions of studio portraiture in the late 19th century. As historians, we can delve deeper by researching the photographic studios of Utrecht, the prevailing social norms of the Dutch middle class, and the material culture of the era. Such investigations can illuminate the lives and experiences of ordinary people through the lens of art.