Portret van een zittende man in een jas c. 1860 - 1880

Editor: So, here we have "Portrait of a Seated Man in a Coat," a gelatin silver print, dating back to somewhere between 1860 and 1880, attributed to François Carlebur. The mood seems very formal, almost severe, doesn't it? What catches your eye about this piece? Curator: It’s the air of quiet contemplation, almost as if he’s caught in a moment of introspection before a rather important… afternoon tea, perhaps. The realism in his gaze is captivating. He’s a solid presence, wouldn't you agree? One wonders what stories he could tell, trapped as he is in this two-dimensional space. I find myself pondering what he did later that day... perhaps solved a major geopolitical crisis! What about you? What does his gaze whisper to you? Editor: I was thinking more about the rigid social conventions of the time and how portraiture served to reinforce those, like a visual stamp of approval. It’s a bit stiff for my modern sensibilities. Curator: Stiff indeed! Though, imagine the alternative. Early photography, I imagine, was as shocking to those entrenched in oil paints as digital art is to us now. Do you suppose he was simply eager to be immortalized? Think of the sittings – interminable hours holding that very pose, the equivalent, I imagine, of holding your breath while listening to whale song, while trying to also appear terribly profound! Editor: Good point. I hadn’t really thought about the physical endurance involved in being photographed back then. Maybe he *deserved* some serious respect, not just for existing, but for existing *still*! Curator: Precisely! So perhaps it *is* less stuffiness, and more simply a man frozen— both in time and… patience. Thank you for this gentle re-framing. Editor: Absolutely! This has given me a new appreciation for what it took to create even seemingly simple portraits back then.