Composition au chapeau c. 1842 - 1965

Editor: Hippolyte Bayard’s “Composition au chapeau,” from around 1842-1865, showcases the potential of early photography. It is currently housed at the Art Institute of Chicago. I am drawn to its intimate still life – it has a quality of a tableau or set. What does it suggest to you? Curator: I see it as Bayard staking his claim, carving out a space for photography within the established art world of 19th-century France. Photography was in its infancy, struggling for acceptance as a legitimate art form. Bayard's staging feels almost defiant, a deliberate artistic construction against the perceived objectivity of the camera. Notice how he arranged ordinary objects -- watering cans, a straw hat, pots -- almost like props. What kind of performance, or scene, did Bayard create here, do you think? Editor: It definitely feels constructed, rather than found, more deliberate than accidental. Perhaps a casual domestic scene but with a hint of artificiality? Curator: Precisely. It’s essential to remember the socio-political context. Bayard, frustrated by what he perceived as a lack of recognition from the French Academy of Sciences regarding his photographic process, even created a “self-portrait” of himself as a drowned man. This photograph could be seen as a subtler act of rebellion, manipulating the supposedly impartial medium to convey his artistic vision. Do you see any signs of manipulation of what some would believe to be a tool that reveals "reality?" Editor: Looking at it that way, I can see a deliberate placement of items, even a quiet, understated critique through artistic control. I see how a work's reception, as well as the cultural politics, shaped the artist’s decision-making in these times. Curator: Absolutely. Understanding art necessitates looking beyond the image to the power dynamics at play. These forces greatly influenced both production and our subsequent understanding of the art of photography in its beginnings. Editor: Fascinating to see this work in a context where photography had to legitimize its place within fine arts!