O contemporaneo before 1879

Editor: This is an interesting print from before 1879 entitled "O Contemporaneo" by Alfred Fillon. It combines photography with print on paper. The typography feels very ornamental, almost overwhelming the central photographic portrait. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: It feels like stumbling upon a time capsule, doesn't it? This object embodies a convergence, a…medley of eras! A piece of printed matter attempting to stay au courant. Observe how the meticulously crafted, ornate text struggles for attention alongside the straightforward photograph, a true portrait. I wonder, what statement about ‘the contemporary’ do you think the publishers were attempting to craft here? Editor: Perhaps they wanted to blend tradition with the emerging technology of photography? It feels like an effort to elevate the photographic image, giving it legitimacy through association with established print culture. Curator: Precisely! And notice, it is the photographer Fillon who gets special billing. His ‘contemporary’ image becomes fixed, while the transient print surrounding it fades in memory. The name is preserved. What did you get out of this work of the 'Contemporary?' Editor: I love that the portrait of Francisco Arsenjo Barbieri is framed by fleeting commentary of the period, and now the portrait endures, not the surrounding context. Curator: An astute and timely observation. This dialogue will stay with me a while. The frame transforms! Perhaps this reveals an attempt to give art and immortality an address, but is only able to provide one name in our dialogue.