William Edward Wilmerding 1822 - 1825

Curator: Standing before us is a rather dignified portrait of William Edward Wilmerding, captured in oil paint sometime between 1822 and 1825 by Benjamin Trott. It resides here at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: It's… intense. That gaze bores right into you, doesn’t it? Like he’s judging your posture, or maybe your life choices. It's a low-key painting, a man in the shadows. Curator: Interesting choice of words. Let's delve into the production of such a portrait during that era. The labor involved, the procuring of oil paints, the crafting of the canvas… each step dependent on an intricate network of trade and industry. This wasn’t just an individual act of artistry. Editor: Oh, totally, but also…look at his hair! That perfectly undone, romantic mop! There’s a yearning there, don't you think? It's as though he is a literary hero captured, a pensive rebel, and a Byronic ideal for the making. Is that the right way to spell "Byronic"? Curator: He probably purchased hair gel to style it. The portrait exemplifies certain elements of Romanticism then prevalent. The very act of commissioning a painting—denotes status. And then there’s the question of circulation, the portrait's place in solidifying social bonds… Editor: Right, it's how wealthy people posted on Facebook at the time. Speaking of status, the coat and the expertly tied cravat...the brushstrokes capture the stiff perfection of that look so well, they really are signs. You are definitely talking to Mr. FancyPants. But...it also hides him. I bet that dude had stories to tell. Curator: Perhaps those stories remain shrouded within the material itself: in the very layers of pigment applied, in the texture of the canvas, even in the artist's hand as it moved across the surface. Each detail bears the imprint of production. Editor: And his eyes! I'd recognize them anywhere... he just looks so sure. All in all, a great piece that really captures an exact moment in time, with all the social complexity you bring up. Curator: Well, as we draw to a close here, reflecting on its materiality brings depth to a pretty interesting piece. Editor: Totally! It brings me into the artist’s imagination, too, trying to create stories about it. Thanks!