Portret van een heer met bakkebaarden 1888

Edouard Taurel created this portrait of a gentleman with sideburns as an engraving. We don't have a date for this work, but Taurel lived and worked in a period when social status was visually declared. Portraits like this were important markers of identity, communicating respectability and success. The man’s stern gaze and formal attire speak to a desire for a particular kind of representation, one that aligns with the values of his time. But what does it mean to perform this kind of identity? To participate in a visual language that may or may not reflect one’s inner life? Consider how this image fits within a broader history of portraiture, and how such images have historically been used to reinforce or challenge existing power structures. We might reflect on the emotional impact of this work, and how it invites us to consider the complexities of representation and self-expression.