Portret van een jongen met wandelstok, staand op een stoel 1860 - 1880

Charles Lambert captured this small portrait of a young boy with an ambrotype, an early photographic process. The boy, dressed in white, stands on a chair, holding a walking stick, his expression unreadable. In the context of 19th-century portraiture, such images served as markers of social identity and status. The choice of clothing, the prop of the walking stick, and the formality of the pose all suggest an attempt to present the child in a manner befitting a particular social class. But there is also something unsettling about this image. The boy’s elevated position on the chair, combined with the walking stick, seems to mimic adulthood, perhaps prematurely imposing a sense of responsibility. This image reflects the complex negotiations of childhood, identity, and representation, reminding us of how even seemingly simple portraits can carry profound social and personal meanings.