Untitled (five photographs, clockwise from upper left, Peter; Violet; Charlie; Pinkie; center, Alexandra, Princess of Wales with Prince Albert Victor; verso: inscribed "Lord Sandys") 1862 - 1888

Editor: Here we have an untitled photo album page by Mary Georgiana Caroline Cecil Filmer, featuring photos of family members and even royalty! The blue ribbon motif gives it a celebratory feel. What stands out to you about this collection of images? Curator: For me, it’s about power and performance. Consider how photography itself was a tool of representation, available mostly to the elite. Editor: Because it was so expensive? Curator: Exactly. And then look at the symbols - flags, royal crests...The album is a curated narrative of status. Even the intimate family photos are carefully constructed performances of identity. It makes you wonder about what stories are being told, and whose stories are being left out, right? Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't considered. I now see it as more than just a scrapbook. Curator: Indeed, these were carefully crafted statements.