Portret van Eduard VII als Prins van Wales 1863

Editor: Here we have Émilien Desmaisons’ 1863 photograph, "Portret van Eduard VII als Prins van Wales," currently held at the Rijksmuseum. It’s struck me how...staged it appears. Knowing that this is a photograph and not a painting, I am immediately drawn to thinking about the production process for photographs in that time and how this influenced the depiction of status. What can we interpret from that context? Curator: Exactly! Considering this photograph’s material presence helps us to look beyond just its aesthetic qualities. Think about the labour and materials involved in 1863: the developing process, the glass plates, the printing… It's not just a snapshot. How does this contribute to understanding of class? Editor: It’s fascinating to consider that it presents royalty to the masses, but required such specialist labor to create and reproduce it. Does the rise of photography also point to an evolving economy around portraiture? Curator: Absolutely. Photography democratizes portraiture somewhat, allowing broader access to image production. The photograph as a commodity itself is critical here. Photography enters into an economic circuit; portraits were traditionally bespoke, but with this photograph, we’re approaching a shift in production models. Does seeing it this way change your initial view of the portrait? Editor: Definitely. I see it less as a representation of an individual and more as a symptom of industrial change. Photography changed how people viewed themselves, but more profoundly, also how their leaders could perform themselves to be seen. Curator: Precisely! And remember, this commodification is a continuous process even now. Understanding this evolution contextualizes our contemporary practices, too. Editor: I'll certainly see photographs in a different light now – understanding the economic, social, and technological means by which the photograph exists enriches the context so much. Curator: Indeed, looking at photography in its means of production lets us unravel its effect on society itself.