Untitled (four photographs, clockwise from upper left, Miss E. Ferguson; Miss G. Ferguson; Miss Ferguson; Mr. Wm Hood R.N.) 1862 - 1888

Editor: This is an untitled photographic album page by Mary Georgiana Caroline Cecil Filmer. It shows four portraits framed with painted borders. What strikes me is the contrast between the formality of the portraits and the almost childlike handmade frames. What do you make of this tension? Curator: It’s a fascinating juxtaposition. This tension reflects the constraints placed upon women in the Victorian era, and how they creatively navigated those limitations. Filmer’s act of framing these portraits becomes a subversive act of self-expression. Editor: Subversive, how so? Curator: By hand-decorating the frames, Filmer reclaims these images from the rigidity of formal portraiture. She turns them into something deeply personal, reflecting her own identity and agency within a patriarchal society that often stifled female voices. Editor: That gives me a totally different perspective. I see it now as a statement of identity. Curator: Exactly! It’s a powerful commentary on the negotiation of identity, creativity, and resistance in a time when women's roles were so tightly defined.