Portret van een man met baard 1860 - 1890

Editor: Here we have "Portrait of a Man with Beard" by F. Roüet, likely a gelatin silver print from somewhere between 1860 and 1890. The photo feels so incredibly delicate. I find the softness and muted tones give it a dreamlike quality, almost like a faded memory. What strikes you about it? Curator: Faded memories is exactly the right idea! I love that image, don't you? To me, this photograph whispers of a lost era, the formality and almost haunting presence. The ornate border, a fashionable framing device of the time, actually emphasizes the isolation of the subject. I wonder about the man's life... he is a shadow figure who peers out to us. Almost makes you feel you knew him at some stage. I like the fact we cannot make up a good solid idea about him Editor: I was definitely wondering about the choice to frame it like that; it's almost as if he's trapped in time. Does that framing reflect the time it was created in? Curator: It absolutely speaks to the aesthetic preferences of the era, a desire to enshrine these images, making the photo like a precious miniature painting or like a hidden memory. These photographic cartes de visite were meant to be kept, shared, and treasured. Makes you wonder about how we see photographies today... what do we hold onto today... our hidden corners? Editor: Absolutely. We have lost so many memories as our world becomes fleeting Curator: Indeed, something about photography. Thanks for the conversation today; you brought back hidden corners I had nearly forgot. Editor: Thank you! It's incredible to think about these portraits and what they meant to people then, compared to what photography is now.