Portret van een jongeman 1888 - 1905

Derk Jan Boom captured this small portrait of a young man, sometime during his career as a photographer in the Netherlands. Boom's work provides an intimate glimpse into Dutch society, navigating between traditional portraiture and emerging photographic techniques. This young man, dressed in a suit and tie, embodies the aspirations and constraints placed upon young men of his era, suggesting a narrative of ambition, duty, and perhaps, suppressed desires. The emotional depth of the portrait lies in the contrast between the subject's youthful features and the formal attire that seems to prematurely age him, pointing to the societal expectations of maturity and conformity. Through his lens, Boom captures not just an individual, but a moment in time, laden with the unspoken complexities of identity, class, and the transition into adulthood.