Portret van Thérèse Elfforss 1867 - 1885

Editor: This is "Portret van Thérèse Elfforss," a gelatin-silver print that some scholars date as early as 1867, but other believe to be from 1885, created by C. Axel Askling. It's got a very antique feel, wouldn’t you say? Almost dreamlike in its soft focus. What pulls you in when you look at it? Curator: Oh, the ghosts whispering from faded silver! The woman’s steady gaze… the almost comical seriousness demanded of early photography… It tickles my imagination. Do you ever wonder what mundane thought might have been flitting through her head as the exposure took its time? I bet she was thinking about grocery prices! Editor: Haha! Maybe. The details in her lace bonnet are quite lovely. What do you think her social standing would be? Curator: Hmm…The lace suggests a certain comfort, perhaps middle class. But it's also about posture, isn't it? The deliberate pose hints at a wish to present a dignified image. Photography was *serious* business then, darling. Did you notice the way light kind of softens the edges around her face? Like she's floating in a memory. It’s like gazing into the past itself, all sepia-toned hopes and slightly itchy wool dresses. Editor: It's amazing how much personality comes through! Curator: Absolutely! These glimpses, these captured moments, they resonate. Imagine her world! Now frozen, forever hinting. Isn't art magical? Editor: It really is! I feel like I’ve gotten to know a distant relative just by looking at this image!