William E. Van Wyck 1866

Curator: This is an albumen print from 1866 by Jeremiah Gurney, titled "William E. Van Wyck". What strikes you first about it? Editor: An interesting pose – there is definitely an underlying muscular strength about him and, although sepia, it is very intense, perhaps from the nature of the print? A very capable man with strong fists ready to deliver a KO! Curator: Albumen prints, popular at the time, were made using egg whites, producing a smooth surface perfect for capturing fine detail and depth of tone, key in portraits like this, where the sitter’s features and physique are highlighted, revealing Victorian ideals of athleticism and manliness. Editor: Indeed, there’s an inherent symbolism there – the mustache, the almost challenging pose with hands balled into fists – and an implied sense of personal power. One senses he feels more than confident in his time! Was he someone of repute? Curator: He may have been but with such photography, Gurney democratised portraiture, making it accessible to a wider middle class who, as they began to grow more affluent in society, sought symbols and artefacts of upward mobility. We see examples like this photograph today in Victorian homes and civic life. Editor: So, the albumen print serves as a tangible symbol of aspiration within the rising middle classes…It's almost like he is capturing this very unique, pivotal social mobility through portraiture of strong muscular men, capturing it with almost aspirational realism? Curator: Precisely. This piece allows us to analyse how visual materials actively participated in shaping social identities, both within the photograph itself and in how they were disseminated, sold and viewed by his target audience. Editor: A really fascinating intersection then of cultural performance, masculinity, photographic technique and expanding social ambition! Curator: Yes, examining the albumen print itself sheds light on 19th century production, portraiture as labour and, of course, the very nature of class representation. Editor: A cultural gem then, viewed through the lenses of production as well as social and psychological symbolism.