Angela 1905

Editor: This is Benedict Herzog's "Angela," from the Harvard Art Museums. It looks like a photographic print, quite small, and she's wearing this elaborate gown... How do you interpret this work through a material lens? Curator: Well, let's consider the materiality of photography in Herzog's time. It was becoming more accessible, influencing mass culture and notions of beauty. Editor: So, you're thinking about the democratizing effect of photographic reproduction? Curator: Precisely. Herzog’s choice of photography implicates the social context of image-making. Did it challenge traditional painting or did it play into similar aspirations? What do you think? Editor: It's interesting to consider "Angela" not just as an image, but as a manufactured object within a specific cultural moment. Curator: Exactly. It makes you wonder about Herzog's intentions and how the image was consumed.