| Abstract: | A photograph in the Louisiana State Museum collection raises many questions. The image compels a viewer to ponder the circumstances associated with the creation of the portrait circa 1860, and its subsequent defacement. The piece inspired staff members to conduct a survey to assess the photograph's potential for exhibition. Survey participants interpreted the image in a variety of ways. While the majority assumed a filial relationship between the portrait's two subjects, a significant minority concluded that the picture showed a slave nanny with her White infant charge, a history that the piece's fragmented provenance supports. Most participants found the cut out face of the adult subject intriguing, and their responses suggested the power the photograph could have in an exhibition and the value of artifact questions. |
