Miss Ellen Terry as Portia before 1893

Curator: Here we have a print, a photographic portrait actually, predating 1893 of Miss Ellen Terry as Portia. Editor: The formality of it strikes me, the heavy robe, the paper clutched in her hand. It has a real gravity. Curator: Right, this comes from Window & Grove. If you look at other portraits they did of Terry, the repetition of garb signals the rise of celebrity culture. There was real manufacturing involved in producing this consistent persona across photographs that could be widely consumed. Editor: And this persona, Portia, she's not just anyone, but a highly intelligent, quick-witted character. She uses disguise, most notably dressing as a male lawyer, to deliver justice. That's powerful iconography. Curator: Absolutely, but note how the drape of the fabric and photographic processing aims for depth. It references the materiality of theatre, and attempts to solidify Ellen Terry's cultural significance by merging photography and other fine art traditions like portrait painting. Editor: Yes, that robe itself functions symbolically. Justice is literally draped upon her, and that slightly severe expression—Terry channels something significant. You almost forget it is a reproduction, a copy of a performance. Curator: Precisely, it’s the aura of that theatrical moment that is meant to be reified in a print, in the material artifact itself. Consider that alongside other collectible photographic prints circulating at the time and it reveals the economy of performance that became increasingly viable with technological advances. Editor: In short, there's real complexity in capturing one performing justice to disseminate for popular consumption, playing with authenticity, performance, gender and more. Thanks for guiding us through it. Curator: My pleasure. The material culture around the performance creates lasting influence that changes our understanding of theatre itself.