Portret van Gustave Aimard 1876 - 1879

Curator: Before us, we see a print from the years 1876 to 1879 titled "Portret van Gustave Aimard." The original photograph was produced by Etienne Carjat. Editor: It's striking how formal it is, almost severe, yet there's a softening, a kind of gentle contemplation in Aimard's gaze. And it's so brown, from the paper it is printed on, to the various sepia tones of the photographic reproduction. What can you tell us about it? Curator: As a photographic print, its materiality is interesting; the intersection of mass reproduction with what was still a fairly recent technology is important to note. Here we have a photo mechanically reproduced on a page in a book - making portraiture, and the aura of the individual, available to a wider consuming audience. Editor: The symbolism, though, speaks of a very specific aspiration. Look at the confident tilt of his head, the fashionable beard and the bow tie; the prominent medal on his lapel. All symbols of status and accomplishment within a very particular 19th century European context. It's fascinating how photography, supposedly a neutral medium, is still carefully manipulated to project an image. Curator: Absolutely. And let's not overlook the labor involved in this form of image making, from the photographer in the studio, to the engravers who replicated it for print, the press operators who created the books, to the sellers who brought them to market, and eventually, the book owners who consumed them in their parlors and studies. Editor: And if we think about Aimard himself, and his fame as a writer of adventure novels, then the symbolism of this portrait expands further. He represents a certain cultural fantasy: a rugged adventurer, a man of action and intellect, and this image reinforces that. The entire layout of the page serves this purpose. Curator: Right, so it's not simply a representation of a person, but a nexus of artistic labor, reproductive technology and cultural values intertwined. Editor: Precisely. A carefully constructed performance. Curator: Thank you. Seeing it this way makes me think of what is lost and what is gained in its material reproduction. Editor: For me, the enduring symbols, and what they communicated then versus now, offer insights into a collective consciousness of the past.