William Shakespeare (formerly known as) 1827

Editor: Here we have Thomas Wright's "William Shakespeare (formerly known as)", a print from 1827. It's a striking portrait, almost haunting with the dark background. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Ah, yes, the Bard staring back at us! Well, first, I’m struck by the "formerly known as." Makes you wonder about the slipperiness of identity, doesn’t it? Was Wright hinting at the authorship debates that even in the 19th century swirled around Shakespeare like a good London fog? I wonder, what sort of expression do you think the Bard has in his eyes? Is it one of melancholy, triumph, or something else entirely? Editor: I think there’s definitely a bit of sadness there. Maybe contemplation? It makes me think about how we’re still trying to understand him so many years later. Curator: Precisely! The weight of genius, perhaps? Wright was clearly referencing earlier portraits, trying to capture the essence of the man...or the myth, or both? He used pretty stark contrasts to almost make it more romantic somehow... The frilly collar becomes a bit of a metaphor for that era too, right? Layers of formality concealing something more intimate. Don't you agree? Editor: Absolutely, it's like the stiff formality is just a facade. Looking at it, I am almost sure that what we see isn’t him at all! More like our projection of him? Curator: That's it exactly! This portrait serves more like a lens than a mirror, reflecting our own anxieties and aspirations back at us, cleverly framed as the iconic Bard. Thank you for a refreshing observation! Editor: And thank you – this gave me an angle for our project that I hadn’t even considered.