Portret van Johannes Veit 1834 - 1896

This is a portrait of Johannes Veit, made by Johann Kaspar Eissenhardt in the 19th century using an engraving technique. Looking closely, we see the subject presented in a way that communicates respectability. Portraiture of this kind would have been the province of the middle and upper classes. Made in Germany, this image exists within a world that was changing rapidly due to the Industrial Revolution. The institutions of art were equally affected, and artists increasingly sought ways to represent and grapple with these changes. Photography was on the rise as a way of capturing likeness, and traditional portraiture was forced to adapt. To truly understand this image, we would need to delve deeper into the history of portraiture and engraving, looking at how such images were consumed and what social function they served. The meaning of art is always contingent on social and institutional context.