Portret van een meisje 1860 - 1900

Editor: So, here we have "Portret van een meisje," dating from around 1860 to 1900, a gelatin silver print, and the artist is T. Bennett & Son. The photographic process is captivating here - how would you unpack this in terms of materials and creation? Curator: It’s crucial to consider what the choice of a gelatin-silver print means at this moment. By then, photography had moved beyond its infancy, but it was still a distinct material reality. It meant access, but also required specific skills and technology. Who had access to this type of portraiture? Think about the sitter’s attire – the fabric, the lace. What does the material of her dress tell us about her social standing? Editor: That's a really good point. The details of the dress suggest a level of affluence, and photography becoming more accessible means there’s a changing social dynamic around portraiture. Curator: Exactly. Now consider the backdrop and props, the chair, and even the mount. Were these stock items within the studio? What kind of labor went into making each element visible in this portrait? Think of the photographic studio less as an artistic space and more as a production site with specific functions. What is the relationship between photography as art, and photography as industry here? Editor: So it’s not just the aesthetic value but also thinking about the labor, the materials, the social and economic factors that allow for this image to exist. That framing really challenges how I usually look at art. I see how the choices reflect class structures. Thanks for this insightful materialist take on art! Curator: Indeed, art is rarely just "art."