Portret van een jongen met blokkendoos 1881 - 1887

Jacques Chits created this portrait of a boy with a building block set using photography, a relatively new medium at the time. The tonal range achieved through the photographic process gives us a sense of the textures of the boy’s clothing, the leather of his boots, and the paper of the newspaper that sits on the chair behind him. Photography in the 19th century was a complex, labor-intensive process, involving the preparation of glass plates with light-sensitive emulsions, long exposure times, and careful development in a darkroom. The seriousness of the boy's pose, the formality of his attire, and the presence of the newspaper all speak to the cultural values of the time. They reflect the era's emphasis on social status, education, and the dissemination of information. By understanding the materials and processes used to create this image, we gain insights into the culture and the time period. It challenges the traditional distinctions between art and craft.