Portret van een man met muts 1867 - 1891

Curator: I find the sitter's quiet resolve in this gelatin silver print so compelling. It’s attributed to William Notman and thought to have been created sometime between 1867 and 1891. He is listed as "Portret van een man met muts." The image’s realism hints at the societal expectations placed on men during the late 19th century. Editor: Absolutely. I’m immediately drawn to the contrast of textures—the fur hat, which I imagine would have had significant weight and cost in this period, against what looks to be a sharply tailored suit. It seems to reflect something of the manufacturing potential available at the time. Curator: Exactly. He appears a bourgeois Canadian man. And fur, for example, could symbolize the fraught relationship with the natural world, and also speaks volumes about the exploitation of indigenous land. The history of colonial exchange cannot be disentangled from something as outwardly benign as that fuzzy cap! Editor: I agree; it's impossible to ignore the legacy that something seemingly commonplace carries. In looking closely, one can even see tiny spots on the photo's emulsion, revealing the fragility and physical degradation of photographic materials and perhaps its complicated journey to reach our eyes. It’s very revealing in the making of the portrait, of the sitter’s clothing, that reflects societal and industrial movements in photographic presentation. Curator: This work feels incredibly intimate. I almost sense the constraints the sitter would have faced as a man during this era. Did he choose his look? Or was that choice directed by the cultural expectation? Was he working-class, middle or upper-class? What societal constraints directed his choice of garments? I imagine Notman, and the people represented, both rich in details we need to unpick in a contemporary climate. Editor: Absolutely. Thinking about the means of production here also offers a glimpse into Notman’s studio practice and how industrialization democratized photography as both a tool and a luxury. And as our contemporary focus evolves, our recognition of materials becomes all the more central. Curator: Reflecting on the layers of meaning embedded in this photograph reminds us to be thoughtful to interrogate everything we see, and to really examine what seems straightforward at first sight. Editor: It shows that by carefully considering the processes and objects involved in its creation, even a simple portrait can speak volumes about the world in which it was made.