This summer social gathering promises a lively evening exploring the world of the nineteenth-century portrait studio before the exhibition Look Pleasant, Please: Early Portrait Photography in New Bedford closes on September 7, 2026.

On Thursday, July 30, the New Bedford Whaling Museum invites visitors to step into the culture of early photography through film, conversation, and active participation.

Marina Dawn Wells, PhD, Assistant Curator of History & Culture, will introduce the fascinating world of nineteenth-century portrait studios—where photographers such as Charles Bierstadt, Hannah H. Worthing, and James E. Reed created images that were as much about social performance as documentation. Visitors will learn about early photographic formats, studio settings, and the well-known instruction attributed to photographer George F. Parlow: “Look pleasant, please.”

The evening includes a screening of the silent comedy Look Pleasant, Please, starring Harold Lloyd, accompanied by live music. In the film, a chaotic photo studio, a flirtatious photographer, and an unexpected new manager leads to a series of comic mishaps involving cameras, customers, and the awkward rituals of studio portrait photography.

Following the screening, Wells, joined by a special guest, will connect the film’s humor to the real working environments of nineteenth-century studios and invite visitors to reflect on how photography shaped identity, etiquette, and the art of posing. Audience members will even have the chance to try a brief “still pose challenge,” recreating the experience of early portrait sitters.

After the program, guests are invited to enjoy a lite reception with cash bar, and to explore the exhibition galleries and pose with a historic-style photo backdrop inspired by nineteenth-century studio portraits.

Tickets are $25 Public | $12.50 Members