Portret van de schilder Auguste Serrure, halffiguur 1861

This is Joseph Dupont's photograph of the painter Auguste Serrure, a half-figure portrait. Captured in a time of shifting social structures, this image tells a story about the artistic and social identity of its sitter. Serrure's confident yet slightly averted gaze speaks to the complex negotiation of identity during a period marked by industrial expansion and burgeoning artistic expression. The bow tie and jacket, while conventional markers of bourgeois respectability, do not fully capture the nuanced identity of the artist. Portraits like these offer insight into the artist's inner world, and also reflect the societal values and expectations of the time. What does it mean to be seen, and how do we choose to present ourselves in the face of societal expectations? This photograph invites us to reflect on the artist as both an individual and a product of the era.