Moses Ezekiel Possibly 1894 - 1896

Curator: This portrait, tentatively dated between 1894 and 1896, is titled "Moses Ezekiel" and was captured by Alfred Stieglitz, employing the albumen print process. Editor: My first impression? A man of considerable gravitas and impeccable tailoring. He seems a tad severe, but the slightly mischievous twinkle in his eyes hints at a hidden wit. Or maybe just indigestion. Curator: Stieglitz, of course, was a pivotal figure in championing photography as a fine art. What interests me is how a portrait like this, in its adherence to realism, functioned in shaping the public image of individuals. We should consider that photography's democratization allowed more to be seen. Editor: It’s a beautiful object, beyond the societal context, isn't it? Look at the light catching the edges of his hair. It makes me think of a Roman bust, only softened, humanized. He's looking at you and me like he's reading a text about people from the future. I like that very much. Curator: The albumen print does lend a distinctive warmth and tonal range. Albumen printing helped solidify the artistic ambitions of photographers by offering ways to render detailed prints. The use of egg whites feels somewhat fragile considering how many institutions it built! Editor: He feels fragile here, doesn't he? This one moment captured from what has to have been an intense creative process that has now landed on a gallery wall generations later. In one photograph there is the before and after that photography inherently allows for in ways painting can't express, maybe. That's amazing to me! Curator: Absolutely, there is a power in suspending one particular moment, while making us also mindful of a past historical context that is often in plain sight when discussing portraiture and images meant to reflect reality. Editor: Right? I love how something so seemingly straightforward can ripple with all those layered nuances and feelings. I mean, seriously, just look at that moustache! Curator: Indeed, food for thought about how photographs create a reality all of their own, one layer on top of many that make up one life, and art itself!