Portret van Menelik II before 1896

Curator: So, what strikes you about this portrait of Menelik II? Editor: This is an albumen print of “Portret van Menelik II,” before 1896, by an anonymous artist. The image feels very direct, dignified. It’s a straightforward profile. I’m curious, what does this image say to you? Curator: It resonates with a sort of quiet power, doesn’t it? Given it's likely reproduced in a book about photography, what's interesting is how the technology of photography becomes a tool for both documenting and, let's be frank, projecting a certain image of power. Think about it: this is around the time of high colonialism. Photography enabled a visual language of authority to circulate, reinforcing narratives about rulers. Editor: So you’re saying it’s not just a simple portrait? Curator: It's never "just" anything, is it? The act of capturing his image and disseminating it like this contributes to constructing an image and mythos around him – and frankly, about European access to other cultures. The gaze, the distribution, the technology… it’s all part of the power dynamic. Editor: I see what you mean. It makes me think differently about all the layers behind what seems like a simple photograph. Thanks. Curator: Precisely. History’s always layered isn’t it? It is in this complexity that this unassuming page transcends being “just” an artifact of photographic history to become a window onto a world of power, representation, and perhaps a bit of magic too.