William Wordsworth c. 19th century

Curator: This is Edward McInnes’s portrait of William Wordsworth, an engraving portraying the celebrated Romantic poet. Editor: He looks so…sturdy! Like a weathered oak. There's a quiet intensity in his gaze, a hint of the visionary, offset by such formal attire. Curator: The portrait certainly reinforces the period's emphasis on individualism and the artist's subjective experience, but it also fits into broader narratives of Romantic-era intellectualism and class. Wordsworth, through his poetry, engaged with the societal and political upheavals of his time. Editor: Absolutely. But the open book feels almost performative, don't you think? I wonder if he was truly at ease or consciously constructing an image. Curator: That tension between authenticity and performance is precisely what makes portraits of this era so compelling; they offer glimpses into how individuals navigated shifting social landscapes. Editor: Well, it makes me want to revisit his poems with a fresh pair of eyes! Curator: Indeed, art has the power to continually reframe how we understand both the past and ourselves.