Spinning c. 1898

Curator: This is "Spinning," a photograph created around 1898 by Emilie V. Clarkson. Editor: It has such a lovely, dreamlike quality. It's almost painterly, yet anchored by the sharp lines of the spinning wheel. Curator: Clarkson worked in the style of pictorialism, a movement where photographers manipulated their images to resemble paintings or drawings. Note the use of toned paper, a common practice back then. Editor: The figure of the woman is placed prominently and the labor of spinning takes center stage. There is almost an intentional spotlight effect drawing our focus. Do you see something similar? Curator: Yes, I would agree. And given its subject, it definitely relates to the larger discussions around women's labor in that era, and how such tasks were viewed through a romantic, idealized lens. But if you shift your gaze you will find details suggesting hardship; like the limited space within the room. Editor: Indeed. And what does Clarkson achieve? With this representation of the interior life, are we closer to the production, the labor and making that shaped this work of art? What does this work want? Is it possible that "Spinning" asks about art, consumption, history, gender, photography and spectatorship? Curator: Precisely. Also, the fact that photography at that time had to compete with painting, gives a completely new sense to Clarkson’s image, if viewed against the backdrop of how women's labor in arts was regarded. Editor: It's remarkable how much she conveys with what appears to be a very simple scene. Curator: Agreed. Considering the constraints of the medium at the time and social considerations, the outcome of “Spinning” stands for so much, just for inviting further inquiry on its existence, both from a material and social point of view.