Portret van een zittende man met boek 1862 - 1867

Curator: "Portret van een zittende man met boek"—that’s what they call this gelatin silver print made sometime between 1862 and 1867. A fella from way back when. Editor: He looks…solid. Like a boulder sculpted into a person. There’s something weighty about his presence, almost imposing, even in this small frame. Curator: It's the age, isn’t it? Photos from this period carry a different weight than selfies, right? This man, we don’t even know his name, probably went through all sorts of social shifts. A whole lifetime in black and white. Editor: Absolutely. And consider the societal context. This photograph emerges during a period of immense change, rife with emerging class struggles, solidifying bourgeoise identities. Who was this man? Was that book in his hands a quiet act of rebellion? Or something else entirely? The neutrality of this picture raises so many questions! Curator: Rebellion, eh? He looks comfortable, not particularly rebellious. Maybe he just enjoyed a good read, like you and I. Though, that book does look suspiciously thin. More like a pamphlet. Editor: Exactly! Consider pamphlets as crucial tools for political resistance. Given the potential implications, was his simple act of being photographed reading, itself, an assertion? Remember, photography, even portraiture, wasn't as accessible as it is now, who got to be seen and how are important. Curator: Good point. I do love how the light catches on the beige of the paper. I bet it was quite dashing in its time, this little print. You get a sense of personality in that small rectangle, you know? His stoic posture. Almost daring you to judge him. Editor: It's fascinating to speculate about the hidden narratives woven into this piece. He embodies both the personal and the political; his choice of reading material is significant, but so, too, is his quiet confidence. Curator: Right? It reminds me, we really don't know all that much about life in the past... Editor: Precisely! We look through our lens. Curator: Indeed, we do. It gives me pause to consider we ourselves, will soon be someone's old photographs, subject to all manner of wild interpretations.