Portret van Johannes Cocceius - Johannes H. Egenberger

A 1864 photographic portrait of the Dutch theologian Petrus Hofstede de Groot, captured by Johannes H. Egenberger.

This photographic portrait captures Petrus Hofstede de Groot, a Dutch theologian and professor, in 1864. The image is a classic example of nineteenth-century studio photography, where the subject is presented with a focus on clarity and formal presentation. The composition is straightforward, placing the sitter against a neutral background to direct attention to his features and expression.

Johannes H. Egenberger, the photographer, was active in the Netherlands during this period and produced various portraits of academic and public figures. The print retains the original mount, which includes handwritten annotations identifying the sitter and the date. Such documentation provides a clear historical record of the subject, who was a significant figure in the Groningen school of theology. The soft focus at the edges of the subject's clothing is characteristic of the photographic techniques of the era, where the centre of the lens provided the sharpest detail while the periphery faded into a gentle blur.

This portrait offers a glimpse into the visual culture of the mid-nineteenth-century Dutch academic world. The sitter is dressed in formal attire, reflecting the professional standards of the time. The simplicity of the presentation allows for an unadorned observation of the individual, free from the elaborate staging found in later portraiture. As a historical document, the print serves as a record of both the sitter's appearance and the technical capabilities of the photographic medium in the 1860s. It is a piece that appeals to those interested in the history of photography, Dutch academic history, and the evolution of portraiture as a means of documenting public figures.