Ozias Goodwin, Boston (1837-1878) 1858

Curator: This is a portrait of Ozias Goodwin, created by John Adams Whipple sometime in the mid-19th century. Editor: He looks like he’s holding his breath. All buttoned-up tension. I wonder what the process was like for the sitter. Curator: Well, Whipple was an early innovator in photography, and portraits like this were becoming increasingly accessible to the middle class. The materiality of this image itself— the albumen print—speaks to that democratizing trend. Editor: I bet Goodwin had to sit still for a long time! Must’ve been strange—almost like performing stoicism. It makes you think about the labor involved, doesn't it? And the performance of class. Curator: Exactly. Consider the social context: photography offered a new way to document and, in a sense, solidify one's position in society. Editor: It's heavy, but strangely intimate. I like that. Curator: Indeed, a fascinating intersection of technology, class, and personal expression.