Untitled (blank album page with paper tape to indicate where the had been placed) 1855 - 1885

Editor: This is an "Untitled" work by Frederica Louisa Bayly, showing a blank album page. It feels like a ghost of what once was, with just the tape marks left behind. What can you tell me about this piece? Curator: What we see here is not simply emptiness, but a powerful commentary on absence and the act of collecting. Consider the social context of albums in Bayly's time. What stories were deemed worthy of preservation, and whose voices were silenced by omission? Editor: So, it's less about what’s missing and more about *why* it's missing? Curator: Exactly! The album becomes a stage upon which power dynamics play out. What does it mean to curate memory, and who gets to decide? Editor: I never thought about a blank page having so much to say. Curator: It invites us to critically examine the narratives museums construct and the untold stories that remain.