Miss Ellen Terry (Viola) before 1890

Editor: Here we have a photograph from before 1890 entitled "Miss Ellen Terry (Viola)," created by Window & Grove. I find the gaze so intriguing and somehow distant, almost melancholic. What can you tell me about this piece? Curator: The power in this image, for me, rests within the costuming and title itself. "Viola" immediately connects Ellen Terry to Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night." Think of Viola's disguise, her shifting identity. What symbols can we draw from the garments she wears here? Editor: Well, the fabrics look exotic, with intricate embroidery. It doesn't feel like typical Victorian dress. Curator: Precisely! Consider the visual language. The shawl and the patterned skirt suggest a theatrical, almost nomadic identity. This choice may reflect the fluidity and freedom Terry experienced embodying different characters onstage. Perhaps there’s commentary here on the performative nature of identity itself. Editor: That’s fascinating. I hadn’t thought about the costume as symbolic beyond its aesthetic value. Do you think it speaks to anything about gender roles, too? Curator: It absolutely could. Terry, as Viola, transgresses traditional gender roles, blurring the lines between masculine and feminine. This photograph freezes a moment where societal expectations are subtly challenged through visual cues. How do you see this piece reflecting our time? Editor: That's insightful. I think, maybe, in that tension of performativity—the constant reinvention of self. There is some resonance there. I'll definitely look at photography differently now!