The Assassination of the US President William Mckinley, Buffalo (NY) 1901 1901

Editor: Here we have "The Assassination of the US President William McKinley, Buffalo (NY) 1901," a print created in 1901 by Achille Beltrame. What strikes me most is the staging – like a chaotic theatre scene, caught mid-act. How do you see this piece? Curator: I see a meticulous recording of labor and class. Consider the materiality of print itself—cheap, reproducible, designed for mass consumption. This contrasts sharply with the supposed dignity of the depicted event: the assassination of a president. The very act of representing such a dramatic event in a mass-produced print implicates its viewers, inviting them into this grim moment via capitalist exchange. Editor: That’s a perspective I hadn't considered. I was focusing on the expressions, the chaos... Curator: Exactly! Note how the figures are dressed. Each suit, each hat, is a product of labour. Beltrame emphasizes the texture and form of these garments through line work, directing attention to the workers responsible for creating them. This image subtly asks us to consider the cost of such formal gatherings. How many hands have touched each item shown here? Editor: So you’re saying the print's materiality and the depicted clothing reflect labor systems of the time? Curator: Precisely! And, perhaps, also points to the transience of power itself. McKinley is a subject, here and gone; but, the system of production and exchange persists, fueled by labor. This artwork serves not just as historical record but as a social document about production, consumption, and class within the society in which this violence played out. What do you make of that analysis? Editor: I've never really considered the labour element, but this analysis really changed how I viewed this work and now appreciate that material element, so thank you!