Portret van baron De St. Marie before 1864

Curator: We’re standing before "Portret van baron De St. Marie," a photograph attributed to Moosbrugger, taken before 1864. It’s an albumen print, a common photographic process of the time. Editor: There's something melancholic about him. His pose—leaning against that plinth, hand nonchalantly in his pocket. It feels… staged, yet also somehow vulnerable. Curator: Albumen prints, like this one, were fascinating because they used egg whites to bind the photographic chemicals to the paper. Imagine the sheer scale of egg consumption needed for commercial studios! It makes you think about the hidden labor involved in creating these images. Editor: True. You almost forget about the labor given the refined outcome, the careful grooming, the precisely arranged pose, that little gleam from his watch chain. I'm stuck on how fleeting the pose is meant to seem, yet it's captured for eternity with great care, pinned into time using albumen and light. Curator: Exactly. And this points to a larger truth of studio photography. The elite sought it out precisely as an act of conspicuous consumption. For Baron De St. Marie, photography becomes another marker of wealth and status. And don’t forget the craftspersonship involved in setting up the shot: camera work and darkroom magic were developing quickly at the time. Editor: He is rather handsome, if I'm allowed to be frivolous for a moment! I find his expression intriguing; he appears deep in thought, perhaps slightly weary. Curator: And maybe we are wearied too—or perhaps refreshed—by the journey we have taken in exploring a mere snapshot. Thanks for that journey. Editor: Likewise. This makes me want to go back and really look at my own photo albums and give those photographs some proper respect and time.