Portret van William Merrit Chase before 1902

Editor: This is "Portrait of William Merritt Chase," a photograph taken by Edward Steichen before 1902. It’s an albumen print, which gives it a lovely, soft quality. I find the sitter's expression so intriguing; there’s a pensive mood to the entire image. What strikes you most when you look at this portrait? Curator: The soft focus! Steichen wasn’t just snapping a picture, he was painting with light, wouldn't you agree? It’s Pictorialism at its finest, emulating the painterly effects that were all the rage. The very choice of William Merritt Chase, himself a prominent Impressionist painter, is so apt, isn’t it? What does the soft focus bring to your reading of the work? Editor: It softens his features, gives him a sort of dreamlike quality, as if we're seeing him through a veil of time. It feels more intimate than a sharply focused image might. Curator: Exactly! Steichen aimed to capture not just likeness but inner essence. Think about it: photography was fighting for its place as an art form. By deliberately blurring the lines, quite literally, Steichen elevated the medium, aligning it with the esteemed world of painting. I wonder, do you see this as a successful claim? Editor: I think so! By using these techniques, it certainly makes a statement that photography can be more than just documentation; it can be artistic expression. Curator: Indeed. And beyond the historical context, that blurring, for me, evokes the passage of time, how memory softens even the sharpest edges. This work now offers us a new perception on Steichen and his own memory of Chase. Thank you for illuminating what could have been just another faded image from the archive. Editor: And thank you for opening my eyes to how Pictorialism was used to elevate photography into fine art!