[Studio Portrait: Two Men, one with Box Tied to his Back, Lima] 1860s - 1870s

This studio portrait of two men in Lima was taken by Eugenio Courret sometime in the late 19th century. During this period, photography in Peru served multiple purposes, including ethnographic documentation and commercial enterprise. Here, we see two men, likely of indigenous descent, one carrying a large box strapped to his back, the other supporting it from the front. Their clothing – the poncho, the hats, the aprons – speaks to their social and economic standing. The photograph exists within a complex history of representation, where the power dynamics between the photographer and the subject are brought to the fore. Courret, a European immigrant, captures these men, framing them in a way that catered to the exoticizing gaze of a foreign audience. This image serves as a potent reminder of the intertwined nature of identity, labor, and representation in the colonial context. It invites us to reflect on the gaze, and on the lives of those whose stories are often untold.