Portret van twee vrouwen in Roemeense klederdracht 1870 - 1890

Editor: Here we have "Portret van twee vrouwen in Roemeense klederdracht," or "Portrait of two women in Romanian folk costume" by Carol Popp de Szathmari, created sometime between 1870 and 1890. It’s an albumen print, and the detail in the clothing is remarkable. What stands out to you about this piece? Curator: This photograph really makes me consider the materiality of representation. We see these women posed, seemingly passively, but what about the labour involved in creating those costumes? Think of the textile production, the embroidery - someone made those garments. Editor: That's a really interesting point. I was so focused on the composition and the expressions of the women. Curator: And rightly so! But consider that photography at this time was not as readily accessible as it is today. So what purpose did a photograph like this serve? Was it documentation? A commercial enterprise capitalizing on the romanticism of "folk" culture? Perhaps selling the picture postcard to Western European countries. The very act of photography transforms the material culture into a commodity. Editor: So you're saying the photograph itself is a product, further removed from the actual, lived experience of these women and the traditions their clothing represents? Curator: Precisely. And the very albumen print itself involved chemical processes. Editor: I never really thought about it that way, seeing the photo as part of a larger cycle of production and consumption. Curator: By examining the photograph through a materialist lens, we can challenge romantic notions and consider the complex social and economic relationships at play. Editor: Thank you, I will now perceive and admire photographs in a totally different way. Curator: Me too; let's look into the history of fashion, and cultural exportation.