Alexandre Dumas (French novelist and playwright, 1802-1870) c. 1876

Curator: This photograph, a portrait of Alexandre Dumas, the famed French novelist, was captured by Etienne Carjat around 1876. It’s currently held in the collection of The Art Institute of Chicago. Editor: You know, the immediate thing that strikes me is… jovial! There’s this air of…almost over-the-top flamboyance. The suit, the way the light catches that little watch chain. It’s saying, "I’m here, I’m fabulous, deal with it!". Curator: I think it's essential to situate this image within the context of 19th-century French society, where figures like Dumas occupied a complex space. He was a celebrated author but also a man of mixed-race ancestry, which would have subjected him to a very specific kind of scrutiny and prejudice, despite his success. Editor: Absolutely, and maybe that joviality, that flamboyance is part of the mask, right? It's a defiance. It's him saying, "You will see me, and you will see me on my own terms." I wonder about Carjat, too. Did he want to capture Dumas’s social position as a kind of "outsider"? Was the framing a collaborative narrative, or simply capturing his physical likeness? Curator: Carjat was a significant figure himself within Parisian artistic circles, deeply involved in capturing the visages of artists, writers, and other personalities. This portrait exists, of course, on paper as part of a broader collection titled "Galerie Contemporaine," situating Dumas amongst his contemporaries, albeit selected ones, of course. What's especially fascinating about this image is the control that Dumas appears to exert. Editor: I love that. I think, perhaps that watch chain glinting out from his waistcoat is some hidden symbol of subversion, something of a little "up yours". Okay, maybe that's just me wanting him to be the ultimate rebel, but… there's a spark! I sense some resistance. Curator: Perhaps we find resistance, or even self-creation, in how Dumas fashioned himself within the world and, indeed, continues to do so through this photograph, presented for a contemporary audience. Editor: Looking at it again, I feel like I'm now seeing the defiance a bit clearer. Curator: Precisely. There are multiple layers, I feel. Editor: Agreed. This wasn't just about documenting someone, it feels like a negotiation for power.