Etnomanie

For this cultural style guide, the acclaimed style profiler Ellie Uyttenbroek (known for her bestselling photobook Exactitudes) made a personal selection of 100 posed portraits from the 1850s to the present, drawing on the ethnographic photo collection of the Nederlands Fotomuseum.

The result is these highly staged and performative photos: portraits chosen for individual expression, silhouette, outfit, body decoration, accessories and other details in which style predominates.

With humor and incongruity, Uyttenbroek’s idiosyncratic approach brings these style profiles to life and allows us to reflect upon the ways in which we try to design and style ourselves.

The ethnographic photo collection of the Nederlands Fotomuseum, originating from the World Museum, is renowned for its ethnographic pictures from the Middle East, North Africa, Indonesia, Asia and America.