Bildnis einer Dame (Margret Freebody_) c. 1872 - 1874

Curator: Here at the Städel Museum, we're fortunate to have Otto Scholderer's "Bildnis einer Dame (Margret Freebody)," a drawing executed circa 1872-1874. Editor: My immediate impression is one of subdued elegance. The pencil work gives it a delicate, almost fragile feel. The woman’s gaze is steady, but there's a wistfulness present too. Curator: It's fascinating how Scholderer captures her composure, considering the social constraints placed upon women during that era. Portraiture of this kind served not just as likeness but also as a statement of social standing and aspirations within the societal hierarchy. Editor: Exactly! And I find myself wondering about the quality of the pencil he used, the texture of the paper. Look closely, you can almost feel the grain, which adds so much to the texture and the final effect. What labor went into creating even the materials available to an artist like Scholderer? Curator: The level of detail certainly speaks to the training involved and the expectations of the art world. Commissions like this reinforced artistic careers, aligning them with bourgeois tastes and values that then got propagated through exhibition circuits. Editor: Beyond the commission itself, it seems like there were so many hands indirectly contributing to its production: from the mines providing graphite for the pencils to those producing the paper... a vast and often invisible web of labor supporting bourgeois artistic endeavor. Curator: Absolutely, it brings to light how intertwined art is with these power structures, making us consider the stories often untold, overshadowed by artistic talent or creative genius. Editor: It pushes me to consider how the supposed divide between high art and craft served to invisibilize so much productive activity by working people and hide it behind a screen of 'creativity'. Well, thank you, that was truly enlightening! Curator: Likewise, thinking through the web of history with you helps bring this image to life in a whole new way!