Portret van een staande man met sigaar in uniform 1866 - 1884

Editor: So, this gelatin silver print, "Portret van een staande man met sigaar in uniform," made sometime between 1866 and 1884 by Albert Delabarre... It feels like stepping into a different world. A bit stiff and formal, don't you think? I'm curious, what story do you think this portrait is trying to tell? Curator: A story etched in silver, perhaps? It’s true, there’s a formality, a certain rigidness dictated by the era, the slow exposures demanding stillness. But I see more than just that. He stands, clutching his cigar, a subtle assertion of control and perhaps even…daring? Don't you think there’s something faintly rebellious about choosing that very moment to immortalize oneself with a symbol of leisurely vice? I wonder, what did it mean to be a man in uniform in those times? Did his rank afford him a certain luxury, to be so publicly… him? Editor: That's interesting! I hadn’t considered the cigar as an act of rebellion. I guess I just saw it as part of the general 'man of importance' aesthetic. Curator: Aha! And is that not, itself, a delicious performance? Consider the way he's positioned within that frame; that's an intricate stage for a carefully cultivated image, wouldn't you say? There's this silent declaration in his bearing. He is saying something, but he is leaving space to ask questions, which, in my humble opinion, invites the viewer in to construct their own story! Editor: So, more than just a record of a man, it's a carefully constructed…statement. A very interesting way to look at portraiture. Curator: Precisely! Every element whispers of intent. And it makes one ponder: who were we then, who are we now, and who do we pretend to be when facing the lens? A fascinating mirror to the soul, wouldn't you agree? Editor: Absolutely! It's amazing how a simple portrait can open up such complex questions.