David Williams Cheever (1831-1915) c. 1910

Curator: Gaugengigl’s portrait captures David Williams Cheever, a prominent figure of his time. The somber colors lend it an air of solemnity. Editor: Absolutely. The deep blacks of his academic robe contrast sharply with the bright red lining, a stark material statement about power and status. Curator: Indeed. Cheever was a Harvard Medical School professor. The portrait speaks volumes about the institutional power structures and the individuals who upheld them. Consider the gendered implications. Editor: Agreed. The materiality of the portrait itself, the oil paint, the canvas, all represent resources funneled into commemorating this man and his labor. Curator: It makes you question whose stories get told and who controls those narratives. Editor: Precisely, and the tools used to tell them. I wonder about the texture of that fabric... Curator: It's a potent reminder of the visual language used to legitimize authority figures. Editor: A language built with very tangible materials.