Portret van twee kinderen, staand voor een hekwerk 1895 - 1920

Editor: This is "Portrait of Two Children Standing Before a Fence", probably taken sometime between 1895 and 1920, by Gustaf Lesser. It's a photograph, of course, but the children seem stiff, posed. What visual cues do you pick up on in this portrait? Curator: It is striking how posed and formal the subjects are, but what strikes me most is the boy's placement of his hand on the younger child. It’s an interesting signifier of protection or responsibility. Does this tell us something about social expectations? The boy’s stance seems self-aware, almost world-weary for such a young age. Do you think the clothing of the time affected this formal representation? Editor: It seems that it might have contributed, or at least reinforced that solemn representation. The clothing and that balustrade do recall a certain genre, but is that reliable? Curator: Precisely! Consider how backdrops and props often dictated the 'story' of early portrait photography. The balustrade, suggesting affluence and stability, is carefully placed within the frame. This may speak volumes about the aspirations of the family. And notice how the innocence, perhaps the naivete, of the subjects intersects with that aspirational symbolism? Editor: I hadn’t thought of the balustrade as aspirational. Seeing them with fresh eyes really shows how even in early photography, the arrangement communicated so much more than the subjects themselves. Thank you for opening my eyes to new perspectives of photographic portraiture. Curator: And thank you for pointing out that the most powerful symbols can be encoded in mundane settings!