Portret van Madame Delamotte, nee Boisquetin Possibly 1844 - 1849

Editor: Here we have Charles Louis Chevalier's "Portret van Madame Delamotte, nee Boisquetin", a daguerreotype possibly from between 1844 and 1849. It strikes me as quite formal, but also intensely personal because of its small size and the clarity of the subject's gaze. What stands out to you about this work? Curator: You know, I’m drawn in by how tangible she feels despite the photographic process itself seeming so distant from us now. Imagine Madame Delamotte holding perfectly still for what must have felt like an eternity! It makes you wonder what she was thinking, doesn't it? Do you get a sense of her personality from her portrait? Editor: I do. There's a quiet strength in her eyes. It also feels significant that such a recent invention as the daguerreotype was used to capture what feels like an enduring kind of portraiture. Curator: Exactly! The daguerreotype flattens and refines, like a distillation of portraiture to its essence. Also, notice how Chevalier uses light, playing with its reflections on the plate – it's like painting with light itself. It also speaks to that 19th century fascination with surface, with capturing reality with extreme accuracy and detail, almost magically. Do you think it accomplishes its goals? Editor: I think so. It feels like a captured moment, an effort to really document a life. Curator: Agreed. It's not just a record, but a remarkable feat of stillness. Chevalier wasn't just recording a likeness; he was participating in a historical pivot—a cultural revolution in how we see and remember. Editor: Definitely a shift, and this daguerreotype makes me curious about those fleeting early days of photography!