Portret van een kind, aangeduid als Jed 1860 - 1880

Editor: We're looking at "Portret van een kind, aangeduid als Jed" by John Jabez Edwin Mayall, made sometime between 1860 and 1880. It's a gelatin silver print, showing a young child in period clothing. There's a formality and stillness to it. What catches your eye in terms of the processes involved? Curator: Well, for me, it's fascinating to consider the materials and labor involved in producing such an image at this time. Think about the specific chemicals needed to create the gelatin silver print, the industrial processes that had to be in place to produce these chemicals in the 1860s, and then consider that it would have been a specialized photographer who knew how to actually create an image like this. Also, what might the clothing indicate? Editor: That's a good point, it suggests a certain social status, doesn't it? The care in producing the photographic print mirrors a certain amount of care put into dressing the child. Is that fair to assume? Curator: It seems fair, but also I find it interesting how a "common" practice like photography came into the range of even the modestly well-off classes. The rise of photographic studios had social impacts, like making images more accessible than commissioned portraiture, but the value of this image as a familial item remains tied to the labor and availability of certain commodities. What do you think that does? Editor: I suppose it bridges the gap between fine art and everyday objects, a physical recording of something personal made accessible by new industrial means. Thanks for highlighting how the materials and production tell a deeper story about the work! Curator: Indeed, tracing those material and social threads can reveal much about art's place in the world. Thanks for asking insightful questions.