George Folger Canfield (1854-1933) 1874 - 1875

Curator: This is a portrait of George Folger Canfield by William Notman. The photograph on mount measures approximately 16.5 x 11.1 centimeters and is now part of the Harvard Art Museums collection. Editor: The first thing that strikes me is the sepia tone—it gives the image an immediate sense of history, of something aged and precious. Curator: Sepia tones were common then, a chemical process. It's interesting that such a practical choice has become so evocative of the past. I see vulnerability in his averted gaze—a romantic melancholy. Editor: It's a carefully constructed image, though. The photographer, Notman, had studios in Montreal, Toronto and Halifax. This was a commercial endeavor. Curator: But even within that commercial context, Notman captures something of Canfield's inner life. The slight downward turn of the mouth, the brow furrowed... Editor: It makes you wonder about the circumstances of the sitting, the photographer's instructions, and the sitter’s state of mind. Curator: Agreed. This portrait offers a glimpse into both a life and a moment, tinged with the visual language of the 19th century. Editor: And reminds us that even in portraiture, materiality shapes perception.