Michael Faraday (1791-1867) 1858 - 1869

Curator: There's a captivating stillness to this gelatin silver print. A formal portrait, of course, but the mood strikes me as so quietly intense. It’s by Jeremiah Gurney and it portrays Michael Faraday. The image was created between 1858 and 1869. Editor: He looks like he has just materialized from a wisp of smoke, sitting with a weighty book as a symbol of the inaccessible wisdom he seems to hold, don't you think? It feels almost dreamlike for such a sharply defined photograph. Curator: Dreamlike... yes, that’s a fitting way to describe how the burgeoning technology of photography sought to capture—and elevate—notable figures like Faraday. Gurney was very much catering to a specific desire for portraits that echoed the grandeur and decorum of painting. The studio even took great pride in its client base of influential political and social actors. Editor: Well, I certainly feel the effect. It does feel constructed to emanate power and gravity...almost like he is meant to appear beyond us, as a superior being. He really does look like he's in on some secret about the universe. His relaxed posture contradicts the very concept of forced perspective though. Curator: Ah, but isn't that the charm of it all? He appears as approachable and elevated at the same time. I feel this was a tactic of portraiture in those days: To immortalize scientific thought, while celebrating scientists who unlocked and shared those mysteries for society to use and understand. I wonder if he posed with that very intention? Editor: Hmm, yes, a very canny balancing act for Gurney, giving us an alluring peek into the life of a science titan! I find it especially telling when you realize he dedicated a good deal of his life trying to bridge those perceived rifts between science and society. A real paradox embodied by one quiet picture.