Zeven afbeeldingen van verdrietige personen before 1874

Curator: Here we have "Zeven afbeeldingen van verdrietige personen," or "Seven Images of Sad People." The photographic work dates to before 1874 and is attributed to an anonymous artist. Editor: It's immediately striking how stark these images are—arranged in a grid, a taxonomy of sorrow, almost clinical. I see loneliness in these faces, particularly the children. Curator: Indeed. Observe how the stark tonality of the photographs flattens the emotional affect, which also relates to its date: The emergence of photography provided a different manner of understanding representation itself. The focus on the surface can be compared to the traditions of academic art. Editor: But photography also provided opportunities for everyday people to represent themselves. Who were these subjects, and under what conditions were these images captured? Were they part of a social study, perhaps connected to physiognomy and attempts to scientifically classify emotion? Were they staged? The fact that there are predominantly children, suggests that there is a potential narrative to unearth relating to gender, identity, class, and labor. Curator: Precisely. The technical aspects invite inquiry as well: note the subtle variations in lighting and pose and the different tonal variations achieved through printing, even though each uses a nearly identical oval framing that adds a structural uniformity to the group. The photographer uses the gaze and careful framing to create this taxonomy. Editor: But can we be certain? The ambiguity is perhaps the most compelling thing here. Absent a deeper dive into its context, the work is less a concrete classification and more a poignant reflection on suffering. Curator: Perhaps our engagement with this piece suggests we bring our own feelings and projections. That is where the artwork’s resonance truly lives. Editor: Precisely, but there is the ethical problem too of extracting affect without deeper regard for socio-historical considerations. These considerations enable us to have critical perspective on power relations inherent within its cultural contexts.