Portret van Ernest van Dijck before 1891

This miniature portrait of Ernest van Dijck was made by an anonymous artist, and it presents us with some intriguing questions about the social role of art and portraiture. It seems to have been made as a memento, perhaps kept in a locket or wallet, and it depicts the sitter surrounded by a halo-like glow and script. The photograph has been embellished by hand in order to create a sacred, commemorative tone. But what exactly was being commemorated here, and what was the social context surrounding the making of this image? A social historian might ask what the institutional uses of photography were in the period when it was made. The practice of embellishing photographs was common, but who was most likely to engage in this kind of folk art? Where would one begin to research such questions? By tracking down more information about van Dijck and the image, we can begin to understand the cultural forces that shaped the making and use of the work.