Acht portretten van kroonprins Willem 1865 - 1870

These eight portraits of Crown Prince Willem were produced by André-Adolphe-Eugène Disdéri, a French photographer who lived between 1819 and 1889. Disdéri was a pioneer in the field of portrait photography, particularly known for popularizing the carte de visite format. During the mid-19th century, photography emerged as a powerful tool for constructing and disseminating images of identity, particularly for those in positions of power. Here we see a distinguished gentleman, the prince, captured in a series of poses that attempt to convey authority and sophistication. However, there is also something quite repetitive about the composition, the subject is always standing in the same position in front of the same prop. The mass production of these images made the Prince's image widely accessible. In this way, photography democratized the medium of portraiture, even as it reinforced existing social hierarchies by immortalizing the likeness of the elite. We are left with the question of how these images, intended to project an ideal, can reflect a much wider range of social realities.