Portret van schrijver Wilkie Collins before 1861

This photographic portrait of writer Wilkie Collins, captured by Downes & Co. Cundall, presents a curious interplay of visibility and obscurity. Encased within a circular frame, Collins gazes off to the side, his full beard a symbol of Victorian intellectualism and masculinity. The circle, an ancient symbol of wholeness, here confines and highlights the individual. We see the circle reappearing throughout history: in Renaissance portraits evoking classical medallions and even in Byzantine icons. Yet, here, its meaning shifts. It serves not only to dignify, but also to isolate Collins. Turn the page, and we see an image of the writer’s signature facing another, faded picture, barely discernible. This layering of images is reminiscent of palimpsests—ancient manuscripts where old text is scraped away to make room for new writing. The past always leaves its trace, influencing subsequent layers of meaning. This spectral presence engages with our subconscious, hinting at the writer's own awareness of his place in literary history. Ultimately, the cyclical nature of cultural memory reminds us that all creation is, in a sense, a form of inscription and reinscription.