Untitled (bust length portrait of man with moustache and long side whiskers labeled S. W. Burgess or Burgers, A.B. 1875) 1874 - 1875

Editor: Here we have William Notman’s ‘Untitled bust length portrait of man,’ likely from around 1875. It’s a sepia toned photograph of a man with an impressive moustache! What do you see in this portrait? Curator: This portrait, typical of Notman's studio, presents a curated image of Victorian masculinity. How does the sitter's carefully groomed appearance—the moustache, the suit—speak to the construction of identity and status in that era? Editor: I hadn’t thought about it that way, but it does seem deliberately constructed. Curator: Exactly. It's less about individual expression and more about conforming to societal expectations of success and respectability. Considering the photographer's studio was in Canada, do you think about how this intersects with colonial power dynamics? Editor: That’s a really interesting way to frame it. Thanks!