Manuel de la Flor y el retrato fotográfico en el Tabasco porfirista

Based on an analysis of newspapers and the iconographic scrutiny of a series of photographs, this article discusses the photography portrait market in Tabasco during the Porfirian period. It reviews the numerous portrait artists who worked between 1880 and 1910, and reexamines the role of Manuel de la Flor, considered a famous portrait artist with a degree of hegemony in the market. Yet, De la Flor was concerned with competitors and adapted his strategies in order to keep control of the photography portrait market. Tabasco’s production and consumption dynamics were complex, given that the public had portraits done with different photographers who are still barely known.