Portret van een staande man in schermpak en met 1860 - 1890

Editor: This is "Portret van een staande man in schermpak en met", a gelatin silver print by Paul Emile Pesme, sometime between 1860 and 1890. It's a photograph of a man in a fencing outfit. What strikes me is how serious and posed he looks; there’s a stillness that feels very different from contemporary photos. What can you tell me about it? Curator: That stillness is revealing, isn't it? It speaks to the performativity inherent in early photography, and the cultural expectations around masculinity and status. Fencing was, at the time, associated with the aristocracy and military elites. The very act of capturing this man's image using newly democratized technologies complicates the notions of access, class, and representation. Who was the intended audience, and how did that impact how both he and the photographer conceived of the image? Editor: That's fascinating! So, it’s not just a portrait of a fencer, but a statement about class and identity? Curator: Exactly. And it makes me wonder about the performative aspects of masculinity being captured in the lens. Were images such as this deployed in ways that spoke to the intersection of militarism and rising industrial capitalism? Consider the social and political context of the era: how might this image have served as a sort of aspirational symbol, projecting an image of strength, control, and a connection to tradition, even amidst rapid societal change? Editor: I never would have thought of that. I was just looking at the picture, but you're putting it in a whole different context. Curator: That’s the power of situating artworks within their time. It transforms our understanding of them. How does this recontextualization impact your initial response to the artwork? Editor: I now see that it says as much about society as it does about this individual man. Thanks for sharing a different perspective! Curator: It’s by questioning initial reactions and broadening the narrative that we begin to truly see the potential of images like these.