Interior View, Libby Prison 1893

Curator: This is Henry Hamilton Bennett's "Interior View, Libby Prison," an albumen print created in 1893. What strikes you first about it? Editor: Immediately, the rigid, repetitive structures and sepia tones evoke a sense of oppressive enclosure, despite being an interior. There is so much order in it; almost too much. I’m drawn to its materiality, it has that rich texture only photography from this era can capture. Curator: Observe how Bennett uses the photographic print and albumen process to his advantage. The light seems almost evenly distributed, creating a flattening effect which further emphasizes the grid-like composition. The arrangement of pictures and artifacts— mounted pictures in frames that create this really layered reality— is highly deliberate. What are we to make of these interiors that mirror realities of past prisons as viewed in exhibitions? Editor: This makes me consider the labour of replication that’s taking place here. Each print, each frame meticulously produced and arranged in what appears to be a display or souvenir shop recreating the interior of the infamous Civil War prison in Chicago. What social function is being performed here? To what use is prison memorabilia put, commodified for leisure? The violence in the labour of making this kind of representation is veiled under a beautiful aesthetic and sharp visual detail. Curator: An interesting observation. The subject matter is not easily ignored. However, I'd suggest that one must look past that immediate contextual framing and to analyze the interplay between form and content here, the structure inherent in photography as a medium, how it functions to deliver spatial understanding. What this spatial analysis allows one to explore through visual representation is almost limitless... the surface texture, compositional organization, and tonal gradations, those all reveal a deeper symbolic understanding and appreciation for beauty in unexpected places. Editor: I cannot dismiss how integral the economic and social backdrop are when engaging with a medium as technologically enmeshed within a socio-political backdrop, such as photography was at this time. While Bennett uses albumen prints for formal qualities and tonal variety that contribute to a strong composition, how it comes to life matters greatly and shifts depending on consumption. Curator: Perhaps by engaging with an understanding of these things simultaneously, one achieves true awareness of all potential for appreciating works of art... Editor: Perhaps that makes our viewing just that much more comprehensive.