[Unknown Subject] 1860s

Curator: It strikes me as very... serious. Somber, almost. Editor: Indeed. Here we have a gelatin-silver print from the 1860s, a portrait attributed to John and Charles Watkins. Its subject remains unknown. The formality in the pose speaks volumes about the period. Curator: Absolutely. He's sitting very upright, stiff almost. What stories are hidden in those eyes and that neatly kept beard? I bet he wanted to present himself as trustworthy and dignified. Perhaps that explains his somber mood? Editor: Precisely. This portrait serves as a cultural marker; consider how beards signify wisdom, respectability, or even a certain degree of artistic inclination. Curator: His clothing seems practical, warm even. It looks heavy. Editor: Yes, practical perhaps to emphasize his connection with reality, rejecting frivolous associations. He exists as the backbone of burgeoning industrialisation. The Romantic style in the portrait seems a little at odds with what is, to all accounts, quite a direct photo. But then, in its day, photography was finding its place amidst art. Curator: Is there something melancholic about these early portraits in general? Photography promises a kind of immortality, doesn’t it? Editor: In that melancholia resides the realization that immortality is ultimately out of reach. It offers only a frozen instant. The symbolic weight here really points toward themes of memory and societal expectations, rendered visible in the subject's posture and expression. Curator: Well, that’s put some things into perspective for me! It looked, at first, like someone's grumpy uncle! Editor: Ah! But there's more there than meets the eye. These historical photographs, even in their limited scope, serve as invaluable tools for deciphering not only the surface appearance, but also the social and cultural fabric from which these individuals emerged.