Leona Dare (1855-1922) 1869 - 1874

Editor: So, this is a photograph entitled "Leona Dare (1855-1922)" by Jeremiah Gurney, made sometime between 1869 and 1874. It's currently at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. What immediately strikes me is how staged it feels, almost performative. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The performativity is key, and it opens up a fascinating dialogue around gender, labor, and spectatorship in the late 19th century. Here we have Leona Dare, a celebrated aerialist, but how much agency does she have in this image? Was this a self-fashioned image, or was her persona and body being used for other commercial or social intentions? Editor: That's a really interesting point. It’s not just a photograph of an acrobat, but a presentation of a female acrobat. Curator: Exactly. Consider the societal pressures on women at the time. This photograph flirts with ideas of female strength and athleticism, but also presents her in a traditionally "feminine" pose, directing the male gaze. The studio setting and theatrical backdrop further complicate how we understand this “historical photography.” Editor: It's a tension between empowerment and objectification. What about her outfit, then? Curator: It is highly symbolic, drawing attention to the constructed nature of her persona and her professional occupation. Is it subversive, a kind of costuming to break free from other expectations, or reinforcing existing power dynamics? Think about the viewer; who was buying these cartes de visite? Editor: Mostly middle-class folks? Was there a transgressive element to be observed, for those looking? Curator: Potentially. We can interpret Leona Dare's image through a lens of feminist theory, looking at the ways gender, class, and the emerging spectacle of entertainment intersect. What does the spectacle of performance contribute to society's development, even today? Editor: I guess, it pushes us to think about the messages conveyed through images, particularly regarding women and their bodies, and who gets to craft that message. Curator: And how those messages shift and resonate through time! This photograph serves as a great document of history and social concerns to explore.