Untitled (Portrait of a Boy) 1850

This daguerreotype, a photographic print from an unknown artist, presents a portrait of a boy. The most striking feature is the steady gaze of the boy. His eyes, fixed directly on the viewer, are windows to an inner world, a common motif throughout portraiture. Consider the ancient Roman tradition of the "imago," the death mask, and the Victorian post-mortem photography; both attempt to capture and preserve a likeness, to hold onto a fragment of a life. Here too, the unflinching gaze speaks to our desire to immortalize, to defy the relentless march of time. Think of the Fayum mummy portraits; these painted panels were attached to mummies, offering a vivid, lifelike representation of the deceased. The eyes, often wide and alert, were believed to ensure the deceased could still see and interact with the world of the living. These symbols are constantly repeated, and passed down through history. This boy’s direct, unwavering stare transcends the personal, tapping into a collective memory of loss, remembrance, and the yearning to connect with those who came before us.