Cara Lovati - Symposium Abstract

Portraiture and the Art of Memory

My research explores the use of personal images, and especially portraits, in relation to space making and memorial practices. Specifically, my research begins by examining American painted miniature portraits from the eighteenth century and American daguerreotype portraits from the nineteenth century as precursors to contemporary practices of wearing or using portraits. Painted miniatures and daguerreotypes were often used to make a memorial or discursive space for those who were absent. Absence does not necessarily refer to the permanent absence of death. Pliny the Elder’s Tale of the Corinthian Maid is the legendary beginning of portraiture. In the tale the Corinthian maid’s lover is set to leave town; in anticipation of his absence she casts his shadow onto a wall and traces its outline. The tale suggests that portraiture is predicated upon the anticipated absence of the sitter. It can also be seen as the protection against any pain that the absence of the sitter may cause. Painted miniatures and daguerreotypes are excellent examples of images that protect against absence, and the ways in which they are used may inform our uses of contemporary images today.

The lineage of this practice begins in America with the introduction of the painted miniature by the American colonists. Painted miniatures were very small, precious objects that were exchanged among family members, close friends and lovers. Likenesses were painted with watercolor onto thin discs of ivory. The delicate material and technical expertise required to make the miniatures made them very special and unique objects. In my thesis I argue that miniature portraits were so special that they could act as a surrogate for the absent person. The small paintings were often housed in elaborate frames, inlaid with precious stones or covered in gold leaf. Painted miniatures were often made and worn in the form of jewelry. Just as the act of exchanging and wearing painted miniatures demonstrated a relationship between two people, daguerreotypes displayed relationships and were exchanged among family members, lovers, and close friends. Daguerreotypes were the very first form of photography, made by using light sensitive chemicals to capture images on glass plates. They were thought to have the almost magical ability to capture a true likeness of a person, and so were also considered to be surrogates for the pictured person. Daguerreotypes were unique images in that the process did not allow for exact copies to be made. And like the painted miniature, daguerreotypes were often elaborately adorned in pressed leather cases or worn as jewelry.

Today related images are used in much the same way that painted miniatures and daguerreotypes were used. We exchange portraits among family and friends as exemplified by the exchange of high school senior portraits. We also often adorn the images with elaborate frames, set them into jewelry or put them on very special objects. Technological advancements allow images to be put onto everything from t-shirts to birthday cakes. And while contemporary images can be representative of existing relationships, we now also use images to display desired relationships as with a person wearing a t-shirt featuring the image of President Barack Obama. Though images of people are much more prevalent today, images still do meaningful work.

Focusing on the use of mourning images will highlight just how images work. Painted mourning miniatures were made after the subject’s death, with the objective of portraying the living subject at his or her best. Their small size and intimate details allowed viewers to keep their dead loved ones close. The portrait acted as a medium through which the person may be memorialized. Mourning daguerreotypes were more often taken postmortem with a clearly deceased subject, though a portrait of a living sitter may be incorporated into mourning jewelry. Mourning objects were very special and highly personal objects. These objects create a space for the past to exist in the present, while preventing the total absence of the deceased. Contemporary mourning images function in the same way, but are available in many different forms.  One of the most public instances of the use of mourning images is the creation and display of the Names Project AIDS Quilt. The panels comprising the quilt feature the names, images and clothing of the deceased, making each panel a portrait of the deceased’s life. Thus the construction of it allows the living to make a space for the dead and keep the memory of that person alive. Overall my research reinforces the importance of images, and more specifically portraiture, in remembering those who are absent from our lives, whether by death or distance.