Richard, Earl Howe 1794

Curator: Ah, the weight of history on a face. Robert Dunkarton's portrait of Richard, Earl Howe, captures him, really. Editor: He certainly looks severe. All that gold braid, the stern gaze... It's a portrait of power, but also of a system built on exploitation and inequality. Curator: Absolutely, and the way Dunkarton uses mezzotint to create such depth and shadow is remarkable. It gives him a ghostly quality. Editor: The darkness almost swallows him, doesn't it? Like the shadows of his legacy are catching up. Howe was a key figure in the American Revolutionary War, remember. Curator: Right, that uniform isn't just fashion. It represents naval might, colonial control. Yet, the portrait feels almost... vulnerable? Editor: Perhaps it's the inescapable gaze. We're forced to confront not just Howe, but what he represents. Curator: Makes you wonder about the unseen costs of power, doesn't it? Editor: Indeed. And the silences history often obscures.