Portret van een zittende man c. 1860

This is a portrait of a seated man, made by Louis Fragney using photographic methods. In this image, the man’s formal attire and composed posture suggest a person of some social standing. The photograph itself, likely a salt print or albumen print, was a relatively new technology at the time, one that democratized portraiture, making it accessible to a broader segment of the population than painting ever had. However, producing photographs like this was still labor-intensive. It required skill in mixing chemicals, coating plates, and carefully controlling the exposure and development processes. The photographer, therefore, occupied an interesting position, mediating between artistic expression and industrial production. Thinking about this image, it’s important to consider not only the subject, but also the photographer's craft and the social context that made such images desirable and possible.