Portret van een zwart kind 1868 - 1890

Editor: This gelatin-silver print, titled "Portret van een zwart kind," made sometime between 1868 and 1890 by F.A. Nowell, is incredibly compelling. The doubled image, likely for a stereoscope, gives an uncanny sense of presence to the child in the portrait. What do you see in this piece, particularly considering its historical context? Curator: It's fascinating how the photograph offers a glimpse into the visual culture surrounding race in post-Civil War America. Think about the power dynamics at play: the photographer, a white man, capturing the image of a Black child in Charleston. It begs the question, what visual narratives were being constructed and consumed about African Americans at the time? What emotions are evoked in *you* as you study her visage? Editor: I’m struck by the contrast between her simple, white dress, suggesting perhaps a desire for innocence or purity, against the harsh realities of the time. Does the composition tell us more about societal views than about the child herself? Curator: Indeed, consider how innocence becomes a visual signifier, laden with cultural weight, especially when attached to a child. The photograph becomes a site where complex ideas about race, class, and identity are negotiated. We can assume that it wasn’t *just* an attempt at capturing beauty, as most family portraitures were… So, who might have bought this photograph, and *why*? What cultural values might it have affirmed or challenged for them? Editor: I hadn't thought about it that way. Now I realize the photograph offers more questions than answers, about both the sitter and the society that produced and consumed the image. Curator: Exactly! It is these open ended questions about identity and historical memory which unlock art's enduring and emotional appeal.