Untitled (Portrait of Infant) 1850 - 1899

Editor: Here we have an intriguing gelatin-silver print, titled "Untitled (Portrait of Infant)", estimated to have been created sometime between 1850 and 1899. It's a very simple composition, really – a baby, swathed in textiles. What aspects of this portrait grab your attention? Curator: The clothing. The stark white dress and the hefty leather shoes seem almost like tools for controlling the child, don’t they? More than simply keeping the infant warm, what’s the function of the production of such clothing at this moment? Editor: I suppose you're right; those shoes look rather heavy. Do you think there's a tension created between the softness of the infant and the harshness of the garments? Curator: Exactly! Consider the process. Someone, perhaps a mother, likely hand-stitched that dress. Was that work considered ‘labor,’ or simply a component of their reproductive role? These textiles represent social codes that determined gender roles within that household and subsequently the era at large. What value does labor have when assigned to certain populations? Editor: That’s such an interesting way of viewing it. I was initially focused on the image itself, but looking at it in terms of labor, production, and those embedded social roles, opens up new questions. I hadn’t even considered the materials themselves as holding that meaning. Curator: By analyzing the materials used, their source, and the production methods behind even a seemingly simple photograph and child’s garments, we begin to unpack the economic and social structures of the time. And consider how the creation and consumption of portraiture shaped those very values! Editor: It changes the way I view portraits in general – beyond likenesses to objects rooted in specific social circumstances. Thank you for expanding my perspective.