Portret van Erik Johan Löfgren before 1883

Editor: This is "Portret van Erik Johan Löfgren," a photograph from before 1883. It has a lovely academic feel, and I find myself curious about the sitter. What can you tell me about it? Curator: This image, as a photographic print displayed within what appears to be a bound volume, points to the increasing circulation and democratization of portraiture during this period. Consider how the photographic medium altered notions of likeness and representation in society. The way this work exists in a bound book, further changes our understanding of display and collecting during this period. Why would this artist wish for this image to exist as an isolated image in a bound context? Editor: So, you’re saying its presence in a book affects our understanding? Curator: Precisely! Photography gained momentum and was used to construct narratives and reinforce social structures. Looking closely, can we determine whether this object originates from an intimate, private book of photographic mementos or perhaps a book of publicly available biographies? Editor: I hadn't considered that! Now that you mention it, I see a certain formality that might point towards the latter. Perhaps its existence as a public-facing image is relevant. Curator: Exactly. Think about how photographic portraits were employed in the public sphere: celebrity and political portraits became forms of propaganda or sources of public fascination. So, tell me what did you gain from exploring the political context of display, Editor? Editor: That placing the photograph within a public or private collection could significantly alter our interpretation of the image itself! Thanks, that’s really interesting.