The White Fawn c. 1868

Editor: This is a rather intriguing portrait captured in an albumen print by Jeremiah Gurney around 1868. It’s titled "The White Fawn," and honestly, there’s a melancholic air about it. It's also a stereo image - almost like an early precursor to a gif, offering this amazing depth of field. What's your take? Curator: "The White Fawn", hmm… It makes me think of myth and innocence, doesn’t it? Fawn-like in its gentle demeanor, perhaps a quiet resistance to the rigid formality of 19th-century portraiture? But look closer at those sharp features in profile—almost defiant in their delicate way. She has been caught in a photographer’s gaze. Doesn't it seem she’s caught between worlds, classical and modern? Editor: I see what you mean. She’s definitely not smiling for the camera. Curator: Exactly! These early portraits were rarely candid snaps. There's a performed vulnerability, yet her gaze is averted, almost like a dream. The question, always, is what are they dreaming of? She seems so burdened by the reality of the photo. I can imagine a whole tragic play with this one photo. Editor: A play, really? Curator: Of course! And in a play, this image almost screams for dialogue! It would involve her internal world versus the projected ideas people have for her, trapped by time. You think too? Editor: Maybe… So much can change when we change our own gaze. This piece gives much to ponder in what might not have changed, and what has been challenged today. I never thought about photography in the theatrical terms like that.