Portret van Dirk Haan 1890 - 1910

Curator: This is a portrait of Dirk Haan, created sometime between 1890 and 1910. The photo was taken by the studio of D. Fraenkel & Zoon, located in Amsterdam. It's a wonderful example of the photographic portraiture of the period. Editor: He looks rather severe, doesn’t he? Almost a bit...constipated? The sepia tone adds to this solemnity. It makes you wonder what sort of weight these formal portraits carried back then. Curator: Absolutely. Context is key. Photography in this period was rapidly evolving from a scientific novelty to a popular means of memorializing oneself and one's family. Formal portraiture became linked to middle class notions of status and decorum. Editor: Decorum, right. And the little details give it away - the high collar, the way his hair is styled. He wants to appear like someone, or rather, fulfill what's expected. Almost performative, isn't it? Curator: Precisely. The subject's gaze is carefully composed. How his clothing conforms to societal expectation plays a significant role in asserting identity and class aspiration. It also emphasizes masculinity during a rapidly industrializing Europe. Editor: Funny that something frozen still for a second – snap – says so much about the before and after. Like what led him to the studio, and what he hoped folks would think. Did it work, though? That is, seeing as how he kinda looks like my Uncle Gerald! Curator: Well, the image survives! It speaks volumes about its period. Haan is more than an individual here; his picture resonates across cultural, artistic, and historical registers, illustrating societal norms as well as broader issues around representation, photography, and identity. Editor: Huh, I suppose Gerald does too. Curator: Exactly. Portraiture of any period provides access to understandings about subjectivity as filtered through broader culture. I'm endlessly impressed with its power to serve simultaneously as a historical artifact, as a mirror, and a source of inspiration. Editor: Right, a photograph isn't *just* a record of someone but a strange alchemy of time and expectations and desires. I’ll never look at an old photograph quite the same way!