Portret van een onbekende man in uniform 1866 - 1885

This photographic portrait of an unknown man in uniform was made by Léon Pineau, sometime in the late 19th century. It's a carte-de-visite, a small, albumen print mounted on card stock - a popular format at the time. These photographs were produced using industrial processes, involving chemical coatings, large-format negatives, and mechanical reproduction. The subject, likely a member of the military, is carefully posed and lit. This speaks to the way photography was becoming democratized, allowing a wider range of people to have their likeness captured. Yet the very availability of this image underscores its social context: mass production did not necessarily equate to mass distribution or access. The photograph reminds us of the economic forces at play, the labor involved in producing and consuming these images, and the way they reflected the era's social hierarchies. By considering the materials, making, and context, we can understand the full meaning of the photograph.