Funerale 1860s

Editor: Here we have Pierre-Louis Pierson's "Funerale," a gelatin-silver print from the 1860s. The woman is so strikingly posed and there is definitely a romantic sensibility to the image; what story do you think the image tries to tell? Curator: This is a deeply compelling portrait that needs to be placed within the socio-political context of the Second Empire in France, a period marked by rigid social codes, especially around female representation. How do you read her gaze? Is it sorrowful, defiant, or perhaps even theatrical? Editor: It feels mournful, or perhaps…resigned? The title "Funerale" seems to dictate that reading. Curator: Precisely, and the title itself forces our reading, but look at the artifice—the studio setting, the elaborate dress. Theatricality becomes another lens, challenging us to think about women and performance, the power and constraint of image-making at this time. Editor: So, is Pierson critiquing or reinforcing those social expectations? Curator: It is layered, certainly not a simple endorsement. His collaboration with Countess Castiglione is a useful counterpoint. She often used photography to construct and disseminate her own image, actively participating in defining her persona. With "Funerale", is the subject complicit, or is Pierson, as the artist, constructing this melancholic narrative? Editor: It feels like both might be happening. She’s performing a role, perhaps dictated by the era, but there's a sliver of agency there. Curator: I think that nuance is key. Exploring these tensions helps us see the power dynamics embedded within photographic portraiture of the era and raises essential questions about who controls the narrative and whose gaze truly matters. Editor: That’s definitely given me a richer understanding of the piece. I hadn’t considered it in relation to other performances of identity happening at the time. Curator: And, I hope, to also interrogate what aspects of current performativity and identity can inform us about previous times and images.