Twee fotoreproducties van tekeningen, voorstellende een portret van een actrice in een interieur en actrices kleden zich in een kleedkamer 1890

Editor: Here we have F.A. Dahlström's 1890 piece, "Two Photoreproductions of Drawings, Representing a Portrait of an Actress in an Interior and Actresses Dressing in a Dressing Room," made with pencil. I am fascinated by how this single sheet captures such intimate, behind-the-scenes moments. What's your take on this work? Curator: I see a fascinating study in labor and performance. These are not grand portraits destined for a salon. Rather, these are images documenting labor behind artistic production – actresses preparing for, and recovering from, performance. Consider the material context: pencil on paper. Inexpensive, easily reproduced. Were these working sketches? Ephemera meant for circulation amongst a theatrical company? Editor: That’s a perspective I hadn't considered. It does seem like a very practical, functional object. Is the medium of pencil common for this kind of preliminary sketch? Curator: Absolutely. Pencil allowed for quick notation and correction – crucial for collaborative endeavors like theater production. Note also how the compositions, though distinct, are placed together on a single sheet. This emphasizes a sequential process; the before and after of performance, inextricably linked by the actress’s labor. Where was this sheet created, and by whose hands was it passed down? Editor: I see what you mean, this approach really shifts my focus from the *who* to the *how*. I definitely hadn't considered the medium of the drawings being important in the art itself. Curator: Precisely. By considering materials and process, we unearth hidden narratives within even seemingly simple sketches like these. The reproductive element via photography further adds to its distribution. Editor: Thanks for your time today. It’s been enlightening looking at the piece in light of its production. Curator: Likewise! Reflecting on the materiality really emphasizes its social and collaborative dimensions.