Portret van koning Leopold II van België 1905 - 1906

This small photographic portrait of King Leopold II of Belgium, maker unknown, captures a formal likeness. What was the photographer thinking as they framed this shot? The king seems stiff, caught between the weight of his regalia and the expectations of his position. Maybe they were trying to capture the essence of power, the unyielding gaze of a ruler. I wonder, did the photographer labor over lighting, angling the camera just so? Or was it a quick, almost transactional exchange? I feel a strange sense of responsibility looking at this image – like I am now implicated in the circulation of this representation. In a way, photography is always a collaboration across time. We bring our perspectives, our baggage, to these images, and they, in turn, shape how we see the world. It’s an ongoing dialogue, echoing through history.