Portret van een man in een militair uniform, staand c. 1860 - 1870

G. Hoogwinkel Jr. produced this portrait of a man in military uniform using photography, a relatively new medium at the time. It was the mid 19th century, a period when photography was rapidly changing artistic and social norms. Consider the sitter’s confident pose and meticulously detailed uniform. These communicate authority, class, and commitment to state power. This image would have been made in the Netherlands. Its culture was deeply shaped by its colonial past, a strict class structure, and a burgeoning sense of national identity. Military service was a key component of patriotic pride and social mobility. Photographs like this served to reinforce such values, documenting the figures who upheld the social order. To fully understand this work, we must consider the history of photography itself, the role of the military in Dutch society, and the complex interplay between individual identity and state power. Such research helps us see beyond the surface of the image, revealing the deeper social and political forces at play.