Adjutant George Foster Hodges (1837-1862) and Captain William Townsend Hodges (1833-1865) 1866

Editor: So here we have William Sharp’s immense double portrait of Adjutant George Foster Hodges and Captain William Townsend Hodges. It's striking how formal and...stately it feels. What strikes you most about it? Curator: Well, isn't it interesting how Sharp, painting decades earlier, captures this pre-war almost idealized vision of military men? Before the full carnage, perhaps? It's as if they’re posing for posterity, unaware of the tragedy awaiting. Editor: That's a poignant way to put it. The backdrop feels very dreamlike too. Curator: Indeed. It’s a curious dance between reality and romanticism, isn’t it? Makes you wonder about the stories they carried, and the ones left untold. Editor: Absolutely. I'll definitely be looking at 19th century portraits differently now.