Untitled (Portrait of Man) 1843

Editor: We’re looking at "Untitled (Portrait of Man)," a daguerreotype from 1843 by Southworth & Hawes. It’s striking how intimate it feels, even though it's over 150 years old. What historical context should we keep in mind while considering this artwork? Curator: Well, this daguerreotype appears when photography was still a nascent and revolutionary technology. It's not just a portrait; it's a claim about photography’s role in representing individuals within the socio-political hierarchies of the 19th century. How do you see the subject’s presentation influencing our understanding of that era? Editor: He looks very proper, his attire so serious, so different from modern selfies. Is that formality on purpose? Curator: Absolutely. Photography offered a new form of documentation. Consider this portrait as an attempt to capture and perhaps even solidify an individual’s social standing during an era of rapid social and economic change. Daguerreotypes were often commissioned, suggesting a desire for self-representation and legacy-building within a specific social class. Does knowing that alter your interpretation? Editor: Definitely. It makes me think about who got to be represented and why. It wasn’t just about vanity; it was about power, privilege and the societal changes back then. Curator: Precisely. So the photograph serves not only as an image of an individual but as an artifact of that social structure. The museum frames, contextualizes, and perpetuates this act as well. We need to consider this. Editor: That gives me a lot to consider about the cultural implications of photography back then, and the continuing effect on museum representation today.