Portret van een (vermoedelijk) Franse militair, staand in uniformjas met tressen, rijbroek en laarzen c. 1860 - 1890

This is a portrait of a French military man, made by G. Prévot, though the date is unknown. It is a photograph, a relatively new medium at the time. Consider the material properties of early photography: the way light is captured on a treated surface, and how the image emerges through chemical processes. The tones, the resolution, the very act of pausing to be photographed – all of this has imbued the work with social significance. Think, too, about the materials this man is wearing. The fur trim on his jacket speaks of status and wealth. His riding boots and carefully tailored uniform suggest a life far removed from manual labor. And just as this portrait speaks to broader social issues of labor, politics, and consumption, it also blurs conventional boundaries between art and craft. The making of this military attire surely involved many artisans, working with specialized skills.