Seated man shaving another man's head, Sri Lanka 1862 - 1903

Editor: So, we’re looking at "Seated man shaving another man's head, Sri Lanka" by W.L.H. Skeen & Co., dating from sometime between 1862 and 1903. It’s a photograph, and I immediately notice the intimacy of the scene – almost like a peek into someone's personal ritual. The light and shadow also really stand out. What captures your attention in this image? Curator: Oh, you’ve nailed it with that ‘intimacy’ observation. It's less about a staged photo and more about a shared moment. This picture invites you to ask, what does it mean to document the ordinary, the daily grind, with such deliberate attention? For me, I wonder about the ‘performance’ for the camera – do you think they shifted the interaction? What do you feel about its claim to ‘realism’? Editor: That’s a great question! The awareness of the camera must change things somewhat. Perhaps there's a slight alteration of behaviour just for the picture, like they are self-conscious? How does that influence our understanding of the moment, though? Is it still real, or does it morph into something… else? Curator: Exactly! Maybe 'realism' is more a Western concept *imposed* onto this very real lived scene – that makes me feel slightly uneasy, to be honest. These photographic glimpses became cultural touchstones but were created within specific power dynamics and colonial contexts – orientalism being a kind of shortcut to understanding and… maybe misunderstanding! Perhaps their goal was never to portray what *we* perceive as genuine, day-to-day life? Editor: It gives me so much to think about when viewing photography – particularly older ones. It's about decoding more than the subject, but all those subtle social relationships too. Thanks! Curator: And thank you, for reminding us all to always read between the lines – or in this case, between the light and shadow.