Portret van een onbekend persoon before 1897

This portrait of an unknown person is a small black and white photograph likely taken before 1897. The photograph features an individual with a dark complexion wearing a headdress, looking to the right of the frame. This photo is labeled "Type Bateke," which is a reference to the Bateke people, a group of Bantu peoples indigenous to the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Gabon. The photograph, with its simple composition and realistic portrayal, may have been used for anthropological or ethnographic study. The work is anonymous, and its exact origins are unknown. Its small size, 83 mm by 100 mm, suggests it was created for a personal or private collection, possibly as part of a travel journal or research documentation.