Untitled (Two Men Wearing Top Hats, Leaning on a White Picket Fence) 1853

Curator: Right, let’s turn our attention to an intriguing daguerreotype, a photograph by William J. Shew, simply titled "Untitled (Two Men Wearing Top Hats, Leaning on a White Picket Fence)," taken in 1853. Editor: The scene has this solemn, almost cinematic feel, doesn’t it? Two figures frozen against that weathered picket fence. It's oddly isolating. The crisp detail juxtaposed against what appears to be a nascent frontier. What symbols are active here for you? Curator: The top hats are a start, signifying aspirations of refinement amidst the rough landscape, while the picket fence neatly separates and contains space. We often see fences as symbols of inclusion or exclusion. Editor: Right, I suppose the landscape itself whispers tales of ambition, of westward expansion and a kind of pastoral ideal juxtaposed against that desire for control. Do we think about the ways that those concepts can act as constraints? Curator: Precisely! And the daguerreotype itself is so interesting here – it’s a unique, mirrored image on silvered copper. It speaks to a very specific moment in time. What emotional truths do we imagine can come forth from this image of the mid-nineteenth century? Editor: Thinking about it, daguerreotypes become time capsules through their medium. I would like to think this one shows ambition tempered with a little vulnerability—a moment of quiet amidst upheaval. The landscape beyond could represent promise and all the unknowns. Curator: Indeed. This artwork serves as both a document and a meditation on its time and culture. A lasting expression frozen in time. Editor: Beautiful. An intimate, silvered mirror reflecting the soul of an era. It resonates profoundly!