Portræt af P. A. Heiberg 1868

Vilhelm Kyhn captured P. A. Heiberg in this print with a classical style. Heiberg's neatly knotted cravat draws the eye. Such neckwear, derived from military attire, became a symbol of bourgeois respectability. Consider, however, its earlier life: the Roman orator, with his draped toga, signaling status and civic duty. This gesture then reappears in Renaissance portraiture, evolving into the elaborate ruffs of the Elizabethan era, a symbol of wealth and power. The cravat, in its simplicity, is a muted echo of these past declarations. Yet, subconsciously, it carries the weight of history. It represents a yearning for order and rationality during a period of upheaval. This simple knot becomes a nexus point, a place where personal identity meets collective memory. It shows how symbols recur and transform, bearing the imprint of history.