James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851) 1858 - 1869

Editor: Here we have an albumen print photograph taken sometime between 1858 and 1869 by Jeremiah Gurney, depicting James Fenimore Cooper. The portrait possesses an incredibly soft quality and the slightly faded sepia tones give it a solemn mood. What's your take on this portrait? Curator: What do I see? Well, more than just ink and paper, that's for sure! I sense a kind of… wistful pondering etched onto Cooper's face. He’s the storyteller behind *The Last of the Mohicans,* mind you. But in this portrait, the romance has faded – life’s realities settling in? Editor: A realist awakening from a Romantic dream perhaps? Curator: Precisely! I wonder, when Gurney captured him with this newfangled contraption, did Cooper consider it a mere record, or a fleeting glimpse into the soul? What secrets were hidden beneath his formal attire and that intriguing wisp of hair defying gravity? It looks like Romanticism has passed! Editor: That little curl *is* distracting! Do you think he was a willing subject? Curator: Ah, willingness! A loaded question, isn't it? Imagine the power dynamics – the famous author, the ambitious photographer. Perhaps a mutual exchange of reputation, or simply, as Oscar Wilde said, "Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter." Editor: Hmmm…a little bit of the photographer within the author perhaps. Fascinating! Curator: It is, isn’t it? This photograph, like Cooper's stories, leaves us with more questions than answers. Editor: Absolutely. I’ll be contemplating those power dynamics long after this tour. Thank you!