Untitled (seven photographs, clockwise from top left, Duchess of Montrose?; Mrs. Poole; Countess of Stradbroke; Sir Samuel Hayes; Richard (?); Lord Henry Paget; center, unidentified woman on horseback, unidentified man in uniform at horse's head; verso: photograph is missing) 1862 - 1888

Curator: This is an untitled photo album page by Mary Georgiana Caroline Cecil Filmer, currently held in the Harvard Art Museums. It contains seven mounted portraits. What strikes you about this piece? Editor: The stark contrast of each figure against the drab backgrounds creates a sense of loneliness. These are portraits of the elite, yet the photos feel almost… utilitarian. Curator: Indeed. The album format speaks to photography's role in solidifying social networks. Note the inscriptions identifying figures like the Duchess of Montrose and Lord Henry Paget. It’s a visual record of social standing. Editor: And how fascinating that these portraits, presumably commissioned or at least curated, are being displayed in this album format. The materiality suggests a flattening of social hierarchies. Photography as a tool for both commemoration and consolidation. Curator: Precisely. It invites us to consider the social function of photography, and how it was employed to construct and maintain social standing. Editor: It also makes me ponder the labor and resources required to produce this: from the manufacturing of the photographic plates to the tailoring of their clothes. Curator: Ultimately, this album page reveals photography's power to both document and perform social status. Editor: A memento, a display of resources, and a study of materiality.