Untitled Portraits

When researching early portraiture for 'The Workhouse Community Project' (see blog page), I bought poor quality examples of carte de visite of unknown people: commercial portraits that aimed to flatter aspirational Victorians. Like later formal portraits, they are highly conventional, yet end up testifying to the individuality of their subjects.    I decided to create images that echo six of the cartes de visite.   In producing this photographic response, I had in mind the self-representations we often choose for websites such as linkedin. There, we try to appear at our best. We aspire. And we can appear, as a result, a little bit too similar. Even here, however, I like to think some of our idiosyncrasies shine through. Despite having the permeance of digital technology, these images too will pass. The fast pace of contemporary life make them as ephemeral as those archaic faces temporarily held on photographic paper. Like those past portraits, I tried to make these six new images hint at possible stories, but finally withhold any certain truth. Who are these people? Where were they? Why are they here?