Twintig portretten van Marie Delna, mademoiselle Bonnefoy, monsieur Lafarge en Jane Hading before 1892

Editor: Here we have Nadar's 'Twintig portretten van Marie Delna, mademoiselle Bonnefoy, monsieur Lafarge en Jane Hading,' made before 1892. It appears to be a page from a book with multiple portrait photographs, currently residing at the Rijksmuseum. The sepia tones give it a vintage feel. What are your initial thoughts on this collection of images? Curator: The structure itself invites interrogation. Notice how Nadar uses the grid to organize distinct personalities. Observe the tonality and contrast in each photograph. Do you see any common visual elements despite their differences? Editor: I see the lighting is generally soft, and there’s a certain formality to most of the poses, though there are exceptions in costume or action. But is that relevant to its art? Curator: Most definitely. These recurring features, from the lighting to the compositions within the individual frames, impose a system. Reflect upon the meaning generated by such an organizational pattern, of portraits, side by side, and the space surrounding the content within the page. Are you able to verbalize it? Editor: Well, arranging them like this creates an almost typological study. Curator: Precisely. How does it feel in terms of composition compared to single or full spread artworks? It brings our attention back to the question of structure and intrinsic pictorial content itself, does it not? What do we gain, as opposed to simply a display of individual celebrity photographs? Editor: The seriality prompts us to analyze each subject under a common criteria, seeking points of similarity and dissimilarity beyond mere surface likeness. Curator: I concur. A photographic page is a dialectical tableau in which form meets the unique essence within each portrait. It seems we both leave with an appreciation for Nadar’s structured vision.