Elizabeth Hamilton Halleck (wife of General Henry Wager Halleck) c. 1857

Editor: This is a photograph of Elizabeth Hamilton Halleck by Mathew Brady, currently at the Harvard Art Museums. It's striking how posed and formal she looks. What do you see in this portrait? Curator: Beyond the individual, these early photographs served a vital social function. They democratized portraiture, allowing a wider public to participate in visual culture and construct their own narratives of identity. Editor: So it's about more than just capturing someone's likeness? Curator: Exactly. Brady was shaping how the public saw and remembered individuals. The very act of sitting for a photograph became a statement, didn't it? Editor: I hadn't considered the power dynamic inherent in that. Thanks!