Untitled (bust length profile portrait of man with moustache, long side whisker, thinning hair, wearing pince nez labeled Greenough) 1868 - 1875

Editor: This is an untitled photograph by William Notman. It shows a man in profile, and what strikes me is the formal attire combined with his slightly disheveled hair. What can you tell us about it? Curator: This portrait, likely taken in the mid-19th century, speaks volumes about the performance of masculinity during a period of immense social change. Note the sitter's upward gaze; what statement do you think he is making by looking into the future? Editor: Maybe it's aspirational? Curator: Precisely! Early photography allowed for the democratization of portraiture, yet societal pressures dictated a very specific, often exclusionary, representation. It is not only a record of this man, but also of its era. Editor: That gives me a lot to think about. Curator: Indeed, and about the relationship between photography and power.