Portret van een man met sigaar, staand bij een stoel 1850 - 1868

Editor: This dignified portrait, “Portret van een man met sigaar, staand bij een stoel,” was taken sometime between 1850 and 1868 by Alonso Martinez y Hermano. The sepia tones give it a real sense of history. What can you tell us about this work? Curator: Indeed. Look closely: the sitter holds a cigar. Think about what the cigar signified at that time—wealth, leisure, perhaps even rebellion. Note how he’s standing, slightly off-center, almost casually leaning on the chair. Editor: What does that tell us about his role or aspirations? Curator: This is the performance of bourgeois masculinity. He's not caught unaware; this pose has been carefully considered. The patterned floor, the draped curtain, the very crispness of the photograph– these all construct a reality and project the sitter into that world. Photography, as it emerged, became an incredibly potent tool for self-definition. But it also shows a great leveling where everyone could be a member, as long as they could afford the sitting, so what does it signal about that modern society in general, I wonder? Editor: So, it’s about more than just capturing a likeness? Curator: Exactly. What do you see in his eyes? Editor: A bit of calculation, I suppose. He's aware of being seen. Curator: Precisely! It's about crafting an identity to be remembered by, as if speaking directly across time. I appreciate its careful composition but feel how cool the portrayal is, almost studied. Editor: I hadn’t considered it that way. It really highlights the choices people make about their image. Curator: It also made me reconsider this medium as the rise of democracy when we look back across centuries. I'm intrigued by its long and impactful presence still, perhaps differently than photography now.