Portret van een onbekende Groningse student in maskeradekostuum 1896 - 1900

Jan Frederik Blöte, a photographer in Groningen, made this portrait of an unknown student in fancy dress, likely toward the end of the 19th century. Photographs like this were often made as keepsakes, and this one hints at some of the social rituals of student life. Carnival traditions were popular in universities throughout Europe at this time, and they often involved elaborate costumes and role-playing. This student’s costume seems to combine different historical periods and theatrical styles, with a nod to the Dutch Golden Age. Such traditions had a social function. They allowed students to let off steam, but they also reinforced social hierarchies and bonds. The historian can look at student newspapers, society records, and visual materials such as photographs to better understand the place of such rituals in the wider culture. The photograph preserves a moment in time, but its meaning is always contingent on the social world around it.