Portret van een onbekende man Possibly 1859

This is Johann Peter Berghaus’s ‘Portrait of an unknown man’, a pencil drawing, probably made sometime in the mid-19th century. Berghaus was working in a period defined by strict social hierarchies. The sitter's military attire signals a position of power, steeped in the social and political order of the time. But who was this man behind the uniform? Berghaus leaves us to wonder about the individual experiences of the sitter. Was he a reluctant participant in the colonial project, or a fervent believer? What were his hopes and fears? The portrait invites us to consider the personal stories often overshadowed by grand historical narratives. By leaving the sitter unnamed, Berghaus prompts us to reflect on the countless individuals whose stories remain untold. It serves as a reminder of the complexities of identity, caught between personal experience and public role.