Mrs. Sequin 1869 - 1874

Curator: Isn't it wonderful how a single image can hold so much history, so much feeling? Jeremiah Gurney, a leading photographer in the United States, captured "Mrs. Sequin" sometime between 1869 and 1874. Editor: Immediately, what strikes me is the sepia tone – it’s practically a physical manifestation of "vintage," a layer of age applied not just to the image, but to our perception of it. What material are we talking about here, though? It’s not paper… Curator: Precisely! It's a gelatin silver print, so we see the alchemical blend of light-sensitive silver halides suspended in gelatin… rather magical, really. Editor: Yes, and mass-producible, so this could be a popular likeness that also demonstrates both wealth (a fine portrait!) and a rise in accessible ways for families to make a visual record. Did that elaborate necklace, that beaded extravagance, contribute to her name? Curator: Well, perhaps it did inspire the title. More broadly, the Victorians did love to adorn! But consider also the work that goes into producing photographic chemicals in the 1870s, processing these images, the labor of setting up the shoot… Editor: I like that. It reframes Mrs. Sequin's serene expression as part of an economic exchange – her time, her affluence – all transformed by these darkroom processes. Makes you wonder what she's really thinking, underneath that Victorian pose, and behind those beads! Curator: Right? She becomes almost an enigma, suspended between who she was and who the image allows her to be. It touches on a deeper human desire: to capture a moment, even to cheat time, as we might seek something eternal in this transient world. Editor: An illusion fostered by chemical compounds and careful craftsmanship. You know, contemplating all of this truly reveals how portraits aren’t mere likenesses. There are many more materials to consider besides the beads on her neck. Curator: Absolutely! This is what keeps me coming back; each viewing unveils a new layer.