The miller before 1895

Editor: Here we have "The Miller," a photograph from before 1895 by M.J. Harding. It's an albumen print, which gives it a wonderful sepia tone. It's a portrait included in what appears to be an instructional photography manual. I’m immediately struck by the texture and the quietness of the scene. What formal qualities stand out to you in this image? Curator: Focusing on its visual architecture, I am drawn to the contrast achieved through the subject's placement. The texture, of course, is rich owing to the albumen print, however, consider its effect when contrasted against the framing text. Note the light from the left that cascades through the man’s hat, brow, cheek and garment, how that play of light is distinct when set beside the shadow to his right. What of this arrangement captures your interest? Editor: I hadn’t thought about how the text adds to the picture's geometry! For me, it’s the gaze of the miller. The figure doesn’t meet your eyes as you observe his picture. It directs the view toward the upper right which helps move one’s gaze out of the portrait, back into the other element of the spread, to return, again, for another viewing of this compellingly mundane man. What might you want to see improved? Curator: Interesting, how you’ve pointed out that pictorial movement. A sharper image would assist in the viewing process; however, considering the quality available to the Harding, and its documentary purpose, this piece's construction functions well-enough, particularly when understood as part of this volume, not as an artwork divorced from a set of written instructions. Editor: Yes, seeing it in its original context changes how I view the image itself. Thanks! Curator: And I, having learned of your insight into that compositional push and pull within the volume spread will remember its purpose more fondly now!