[E.M.Ward] 1860s

Curator: This is a portrait of E.M. Ward, dating from the 1860s. The artwork on display is an albumen print, produced by John and Charles Watkins, and resides here at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: Immediately striking is the composition—a painter posed with his canvas. The subdued sepia tones contribute to a rather contemplative, even melancholic mood. Curator: Absolutely. Watkins's studio was known for its sharp focus and attention to detail. Albumen printing involved coating paper with egg white and then a silver nitrate solution. It really speaks to a precise labor and almost scientific dedication in portraiture at that time. Editor: And the decision to portray Ward in this setting! He's an artist, therefore he's shown creating, interacting with his tools. The easel itself becomes a potent symbol of artistic creation. Note too that he is touching his artwork, carefully handling the final product with tenderness and care. Curator: It also implies a certain level of comfort with new technologies like photography at this point in art history, seeing how photography could potentially influence or even replicate painted images and portraiture traditions. The use of mass-produced photography suggests changes to traditional social constructs of fine art. Editor: I agree, yet even the curtain behind him possesses weight, functioning as a symbol of theater, presentation, of making oneself seen. It adds another layer to how we interpret identity here. I almost see this not just as Ward the man, but as a symbol for artistry. Curator: It certainly speaks to how they thought of him as an individual artist, yes. Watkins, with their commercial photographic portrait studio, really highlights the role of photography and labor as it democratized the art world and the means of art production itself. Editor: A very poignant reading! To me, this image echoes forward; still speaking across the centuries to how we value creativity and project meaning through artists’ personae. Curator: For me, it is equally important to remember Watkins’ crucial technical methods in producing art through photography during a transitional period, marking new value sets and beliefs during times of change.