Portret van Aurélien Scholl before 1879

Editor: So, this is a portrait of Aurélien Scholl by Etienne Carjat, likely before 1879, made using the gelatin silver print process. It has such a theatrical flair with that ornate frame, doesn't it? What catches your eye about it? Curator: The means of production here is key. Think about the materiality of the gelatin silver print. It democratized image-making. But look at the larger context. Here, it's re-packaged within this elaborate theatrical advertising. There's an interesting tension there: photography, a relatively accessible medium, used to promote something potentially exclusive like Parisian theater. What does that tension tell us about the relationship between art, commerce, and access? Editor: That’s fascinating. It makes you wonder about who the target audience was. I suppose they’re trying to bridge the gap between popular culture and high art. Curator: Exactly. It is fascinating to analyze this particular mode of photographic printing and its entanglement with class and the economics of art consumption at that time. Editor: I hadn't considered the connection to advertising and its role in disseminating and framing portraiture in that era. Thank you. Curator: And I found it helpful to be reminded of the practical, material nature of artmaking and how it affects our perceptions of value.