Portret van een man 1860 - 1891

Curator: This photograph, entitled "Portret van een man", presents a compelling image of an unknown man captured sometime between 1860 and 1891 by Edmund Risse. It’s a gelatin silver print, which gives it this distinctive look and texture. Editor: It’s striking. My first impression is the incredible fragility conveyed. The aged paper has a mournful feel, amplified by the sepia tones of the silver print. It is, however, formally composed and looks more formal than personal to me. Curator: Exactly! Knowing it’s a gelatin-silver print shifts our understanding. We're seeing the result of very specific, meticulous labor involving particular materials and techniques for producing homemade paper that create the subtle nuances within it. The albumen used for coating, the silver salts carefully applied - the process dictates a lot about how we read the portrait today. Editor: It does raise questions of context, and also speaks to societal structures. I am also really interested in what this man, captured on aged paper, might represent culturally at that specific moment in time. Curator: Well, consider how the conventions of photographic portraiture became ways for ordinary people to represent themselves as "important." Editor: Right, so maybe the symbolism lies in aspiration, the conscious act of self-representation within a particular cultural frame. It's intriguing to consider that perhaps his formal clothes are not actually reflecting wealth, but instead a social positioning strategy, rendered so palpable by Risse's command of the medium. Curator: And in those carefully chosen accoutrements, that slightly stiff posture...we sense someone attempting to construct an enduring image, a version of himself to be passed down through time using very specific elements and a demanding, difficult technique. Editor: It's remarkable how this small photograph, this silvered image on aged paper, continues to resonate across centuries. It’s also important to think of what might be forgotten or changed, from a culture-studies perspective, once it moves into other homes. Curator: Agreed, understanding the conditions of its making adds layers of meaning to what might seem at first glance like a straightforward portrait. We can also analyze consumption by a new market now—this old image given new contexts today!