George Frederic Watts (1817-1904) c. 1900

Editor: This sepia-toned print, “George Frederic Watts,” captured by Henry Herschel Hay Cameron, is striking. It feels…contemplative, almost melancholic. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Notice how the soft focus lends itself to the idea of memory. Watts, the sitter, was a painter preoccupied with allegorical subjects. Cameron, in turn, immortalizes Watts—the photograph becomes a symbol for remembrance itself. Editor: So, the act of photographing Watts, a painter concerned with weighty themes, is like layering symbols upon symbols? Curator: Precisely. It’s a conversation across mediums and time periods, an echo of artistic legacies. It compels us to remember, doesn't it? Editor: I never thought of a portrait as a symbol for memory. I’ll definitely remember that!