Portrait Head 19th-20th century

Editor: This is Charles Haslewood Shannon's "Portrait Head," a drawing. It feels very intimate, almost like a quick sketch capturing a fleeting expression. What can you tell me about the context of this piece? Curator: Given Shannon’s affiliations with Aestheticism, consider the gaze. Who is invited to look, and what power dynamics are at play in that exchange? Does the sketch challenge or reinforce prevailing notions of female representation at the time? Editor: That's a good point; I hadn't thought about the power of the gaze in such a seemingly simple portrait. Curator: The intimacy you observed is still there, but complicated by the social norms that dictate who gets to be seen and how. Editor: I'll definitely look at portraiture differently now. Thanks!