Untitled c. 1902

Joseph Keiley made this ‘Untitled’ image using a camera and photographic print sometime between 1890 and 1914. Look at how Keiley teases out the values from dark to light – it’s like he’s painting with light. The tonal range in this print—those warm, sepia-like hues—feel so intimate. The way the light caresses the sitter’s face, softening the edges, makes you feel like you’re intruding on a private moment. It's an emotional space. The whole image is so soft, focusing our attention on the gentle curve of the neck, the way the jawline disappears into the shadows. This image, like a lot of Pictorialist photography, plays with the idea of suggestion, of not showing everything. It reminds me of Whistler, in the way he used tone and atmosphere to create a mood, an emotion. It’s a reminder that art doesn’t always have to shout; sometimes, the quietest voices speak the loudest.