Robert Louis Stevenson 19th-20th century

Curator: This finely rendered likeness of Robert Louis Stevenson is by Thomas Johnson. There isn't a date associated with this piece, so we can't be certain when it was created, but Johnson was active in the late 18th century. Editor: Ah, yes, the portrait does have that air of refinement from the period. It's like a whisper of a bygone era, where respectability was painted onto every surface. Curator: Right! Stevenson, face turned in profile, wears a gentle, unassuming expression. His hat gives him a hint of the outdoors. It feels intimate, doesn't it? Editor: Well, seeing Stevenson through this lens also makes me think about the social constructs around portraiture. Who gets to be seen? Whose story is told? And what does it mean that we’re still looking at this image centuries later? Curator: It's like a conversation across time! Perhaps the stories we choose to preserve reflect back on us, too. Editor: Exactly. Every gaze holds a mirror.