Portret van Dirk Haan 1890 - 1918

Editor: Here we have a gelatin-silver print, a portrait of Dirk Haan by J. Siewers & Zoon, dating from around 1890 to 1918. It has a formal, almost austere feeling. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: I'm fascinated by the gelatin-silver process itself. Consider the industrialization that enabled this image. The commercial production of gelatin, the silver emulsion – it's all a product of specific economic and technological shifts. This wasn’t a unique handmade object like a painted portrait, but a reproducible commodity. What impact did this shift have on notions of portraiture and the value of an image? Editor: So, you're less interested in Dirk Haan as an individual and more interested in what this photograph, as a manufactured object, tells us about society? Curator: Precisely. Think about the photographer, too. "J. Siewers & Zoon" implies a family business, a certain scale of production. These studios popped up everywhere, offering affordable portraits to a growing middle class. Who had access to portraiture before this technology became commonplace? What were they wearing, and where was this image likely taken? Editor: It's interesting to consider how access to these technologies reshaped visual representation and even social standing. Did the proliferation of these images change how people saw themselves? Curator: Absolutely. Photography democratized portraiture, allowing more people to participate in image-making and self-representation, contributing to broader cultural shifts. We can speculate endlessly. Editor: I never considered photography as a democratizing agent like that, instead of an artistic one! Thanks, I’m off to think more about photographic prints now! Curator: My pleasure. Always consider the conditions of production!