« A Portrait Dissected »
Sunday, August 16, 2009 at 4:15PM 
A portrait taken by Tuttle & Son of Belfast, Maine, early 20th century, this pose is marked by the subject's indirect gaze and hand on hip, the contrast between white skirt and blouse and nearly black finish on the ornately carved Victorian chair which encroaches upon her shoulder in a manner that causes you to ponder the position of her arm – is it behind her or behind the chair? This is furniture for effect and not comfort, the sort of chair a woman would perch on but never rest her back against.
After the flamboyant fashions of the 1890s, women's fashion gave way to softer, bloused, draped lines that drew attention to the face and hair rather than the figure, but then often ruined the effect outdoors with impossibly large hats. This cabinet card is an example of a trend in which the photo is a narrow oval instead of rectangular, part of the move away from contrived backdrops (the figure within a space) and a focus on the subject alone, whether three quarter length or bust. In a few years the chair would have been considered unnecessary.
Her expression is pensive and private, yet if she had smiled and looked into the camera it may not have been nearly so interesting to the viewer – some mystery is more beguiling.
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