Mansportret 1880 - 1886

Arnold Nelius Marinus Johannes Fock made this portrait using a photographic process sometime in the late 19th century. Photography changed everything about the social life of images. Before the rise of affordable photography, portraiture was the preserve of the wealthy. By the late 1800s, however, most people could afford to have their picture taken, and small photographic portraits like this became fashionable. As a result, this simple image provides an intriguing glimpse into the democratizing forces at work in the Netherlands and beyond. The man in this portrait is likely middle-class and his suit and bow tie indicate that he’s upwardly mobile, eager to present himself in a respectable, modern light. To better understand this image, a historian would research the emergence of photography studios in the Netherlands as well as the rapidly changing dress codes and social conventions of the time. Social and institutional contexts give artworks their meaning.