Untitled (five photographs, clockwise from upper left, Miss Hood; Miss Chetwynd; Lydia Hibbert and Catherine Stonor; Minnie Bertie; center, Miss Fellows) 1862 - 1888

Editor: This is an untitled piece by Mary Filmer; it’s a collection of five photographs mounted in an album, adorned with hand-drawn ribbon frames. I’m struck by the contrast between the formality of the photographic portraits and the playful, almost scrapbook-like presentation. What can you tell me about this work? Curator: The materiality speaks volumes. Consider the paper of the album, the chemical processes of early photography, and the handcrafted ribbons. These materials weren’t just passively assembled; they were actively manipulated within specific economic and social structures to create meaning. The act of photographing, printing, hand-coloring, and assembling was labor. Editor: So you see the value in its creation? Curator: Precisely. It challenges the traditional boundaries between 'high art' and craft by forcing us to examine the labor and resources invested in both the photographic process and the album's construction. How does this album reflect the social standing of those pictured and the creator herself? Editor: I see now. It highlights the art of making and contextualizes its presence. Thanks for illuminating this.