Walter Gropius (15 months old) with his father 1884

Curator: This photograph captures Walter Gropius at 15 months old with his father, taken by Loescher & Petsch. I find it striking how posed and formal it is. Editor: Yes, it's fascinating how the sepia tones create a timeless feeling, yet it also feels very stiff, even alienating. I wonder about the cultural conventions at play here. The child seems almost like an accessory. Curator: The seriousness in young Walter's eyes hints at the weight of familial expectation and the symbolic passing of lineage. What was the social and material function of such a portrait? Editor: Well, photography at this time was still a fairly involved process, suggesting a certain level of wealth and status, not just the labour of production but the consumption of the image itself. It was a deliberate act of self-representation. Curator: Precisely. And perhaps we can see the seeds of Gropius's later architectural focus on functionality and form, even in the child's severe gaze. Editor: Indeed, viewing it through that lens, one begins to see the photo itself as a constructed object, much like the buildings he would later design. I appreciate how this brings those concepts into focus.