Studioportret van een vrouw met kind op schoot c. 1863 - 1866

Editor: So, here we have a gelatin-silver print titled "Studioportret van een vrouw met kind op schoot" by Franz Wilhelm Deutmann, dating from about 1863 to 1866. The photograph shows a mother holding her child, both looking rather serious. I’m struck by the materiality of the image; the tones are muted and create this poignant intimacy, capturing a moment seemingly for posterity. How do you see this work, from your perspective? Curator: This photograph, with its materiality of gelatin-silver, interests me primarily for what it reveals about photographic production in the mid-19th century. We must consider the studio setting – a deliberate construct meant to project a particular image of domesticity. The clothes of the woman and child, while appearing simple to our eye, were probably meticulously chosen and are very valuable historical fabrics. Editor: So, it’s less about the personal connection and more about the context in which it was produced? Curator: Exactly! Think about the labour involved – the photographer, the subject carefully arranging herself, the probable hours spent retouching. And the intended consumer. Photographs like these were often for a wider familial consumption, not just for personal viewing. What does this mass reproduction mean for notions of family values being spread? Editor: That's a point I hadn't considered. It changes my reading entirely, knowing how much care and manipulation would have gone into creating this seemingly simple image. Curator: Right. What we see as a ‘portrait’ can be viewed, materially and economically, as evidence of emerging production, commodification, and control over the medium. How the print has degraded adds another layer - how has its physical manifestation changed through display, decay and interaction? Editor: It makes me think about the photograph less as an image and more as a product of its time. Thank you, this was illuminating. Curator: Likewise, considering it through a material lens highlights photography’s complex relationship to both art and industry.