Portret van Pierre Miharoe 1883 - 1884

Curator: This is "Portret van Pierre Miharoe," a photograph created between 1883 and 1884, currently residing here at the Rijksmuseum. It is part of a collection of portraits documenting the inhabitants of Suriname. Editor: Stark. That’s the immediate feeling. The almost clinical lack of adornment, the direct gaze…it lends a gravity, an intensity. The monochrome also pushes you straight to the essence of the subject, without distraction. Curator: Indeed. The photographer, Friedrich Carel Hisgen, employs a stark realism. Note the composition: the symmetrical framing, the use of light and shadow to sculpt the face. Semiotically, the unadorned torso focuses our attention entirely on the face, rendering it a map of lived experience. Editor: Precisely! And look closer—the material reality screams. This isn't some fleeting snapshot; it's a studied photographic print, created through a deliberate, likely arduous, production process involving wet plate collodion or similar method. There are visible retouches and imperfections which, far from flaws, amplify its constructed reality as a deliberate, authored depiction. Curator: We can dissect the geometric relationships: the triangle formed by his shoulders leading upwards to the central focal point of the face. It suggests strength, resilience. Consider, too, the contrasting textures. The smooth skin versus the coarser hair and necklace. Editor: It also challenges any assumption of a straightforward capture of “reality.” Hisgen makes choices regarding lighting, the subject's pose and attire. Each adds layers of context, reflecting both Hisgen’s vision and the socio-political dynamics of documenting colonized people in the late 19th century. Curator: Very insightful. Ultimately, it's a compelling piece. The image demands our gaze and begs questions about representation and identity. Editor: Absolutely. It leaves one reflecting on the multifaceted layers involved in image production and reception of subjects often absent from history's main stage.