Twee fotoreproducties van tekeningen, voorstellende een portret van Leopold Teller als Cassius en een portret van Paul Richard als Julius Caesar 1890

F.A. Dahlström made these two photographic reproductions of drawings, portraying Leopold Teller as Cassius and Paul Richard as Julius Caesar, using an unknown medium, at an unknown date. These images engage with the theatrical staging of classical history. At the time these images were made, ancient Rome was often invoked as a mirror for contemporary political concerns. The figures of Cassius and Julius Caesar, central to Shakespeare's play, carried heavy symbolic weight. Cassius, the conspirator, and Caesar, the ruler brought down, represented contrasting positions in the theatre of power. Notice how the artist uses costume and pose to evoke these historical and dramatic roles. The choice of theatrical figures suggests an awareness of the performative aspects of political life. To understand these images fully, we might investigate the cultural and theatrical scene in which Dahlström was working. What political meanings might these roles have carried in their specific time and place? Historical sources, theater archives, and biographical research would offer a richer understanding. Ultimately, this artwork reminds us that meaning is not fixed but emerges from the intersection of art, history, and social context.