Portret van twee mannen in kostuums c. 1870 - 1890

Editor: This is an albumen print, "Portret van twee mannen in kostuums," or "Portrait of two men in costumes" from around 1870 to 1890 by Paul Ney. The two men are sitting closely and it almost seems theatrical. How do you interpret this image? Curator: The setting immediately strikes me. They are posing in front of what appears to be a staged mine entrance with the words "Glück auf!" written above, a German miner's greeting wishing prosperity. Considering the era and the industrial revolution's impact on society, this could be a constructed image romanticizing working-class solidarity. But look closer; does the embrace seem staged or genuine? Does it feel like a moment of camaraderie, or something deeper being coded in plain sight? Editor: That’s interesting. I hadn’t considered the performance aspect of it. So you see this less as a candid image, and more of a commentary on social relations or maybe even… something else? Curator: Absolutely. Early photography, especially portraits, often involved careful construction of identity. Who are they trying to be? This “genre painting” aesthetic could either romanticize labor or subtly challenge prevailing societal norms around intimacy, masculinity, and same-sex relations, especially in the context of a rapidly industrializing world where traditional gender roles were under scrutiny. Editor: I see it now, it really is about looking beneath the surface of what's initially presented. Curator: Exactly. By contextualizing this piece, it transforms from a simple portrait to a nuanced document, opening a window onto a complex intersection of class, gender, and perhaps even coded identities within the historical moment. Editor: It’s amazing how much can be communicated, even in what seems like a straightforward image. I’ll never look at these photographs the same way again.