Portret van twee vrouwen, zittend aan een tafel 1861 - 1874

Editor: This is "Portrait of Two Women, Seated at a Table," taken between 1861 and 1874 by Albert Greiner. The tonal range is pretty limited. It makes me wonder, what can you tell us about this work? Curator: This photograph speaks volumes about the emerging technology of image-making and its social impact. Notice the deliberate staging, the rigid poses. Photography was still a laborious process; it wasn't just point and shoot. Editor: Exactly! It must have taken so long to create! Curator: Precisely. Think about the chemical processes, the lengthy exposures. These factors shaped not only the aesthetic but also the cost. Photography democratized portraiture to a degree, yet these women, their clothing, their setting, it indicates a certain social class. Editor: That's interesting. Do you mean that owning photographs was a commodity at the time? Curator: Without a doubt! Photography, at this stage, was a commodity but it gave power to the subject. The women would dictate, to some extent, their own image and circulate that for their own agenda. The clothing, too. It is a symbol of material access, of specific modes of production of the textile industry at the time. Also the creation of a standardized representation of gender roles is highlighted here through dress. Editor: So much to consider with something that, at first glance, seems so simple. Curator: The material conditions always shape the art. That, for me, is where the real meaning lies. Editor: I never would have considered the class implications of photography at that point, or the gendered element of portraying oneself for circulation. Thank you!