Husband
1862
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1862
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
Husband is a 1862 by Unknown, a Impressionism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
A woman in a dark dress stares straight at you, lips pressed tight, hands gripping a chair. Most mid-1800s portraits look stiff—long camera exposures meant you couldn’t smile without blurring. This woman’s clenched hands and frozen face show just how hard it was to stay still. The result feels awkward, almost uncomfortable, but that’s what makes it real. To see more portraits like this, look up *subject: america*.
You rarely see a smiling portrait from the mid-19th century. Having your photograph taken was a serious and rare endeavor, plus it was difficult to hold any animated expression long enough for the exposure times required by the early processes. Sitters were instructed to find ways to keep from moving, such as clasping their hands. The woman here has taken the photographers’ cautions to an extreme, resulting in a tense and unflattering portrait.
In the early decades of photography, many people did not know how to pose for the camera.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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