Reclamefoto met serviezen en keukengerei van de firma C. Read & Co., Baltimore, Maryland 1920 - 1930

Curator: This photograph, "Reclamefoto met serviezen en keukengerei van de firma C. Read & Co., Baltimore, Maryland," was created between 1920 and 1930 by the Stadler Photographing Company. What are your initial thoughts on it? Editor: It's intriguing! It feels very stylized, definitely evoking that Art Deco aesthetic with its sharp lines and geometric patterns. There is an elegance in the layout, even if it is an advert. What's your take? Curator: Absolutely. Consider the social context: post-World War I, there was a shift in consumer culture and a desire for modernity. Advertising played a huge role in shaping these desires. This image isn't just selling stationery; it's selling an aspiration, a lifestyle associated with the middle class and high-society glamour. Note how the arrangement of the objects on a black background makes them seem almost like precious jewels. Who exactly were they trying to reach with the ad? Editor: So, these images catered to the aspirations and the values that the manufacturer or the advertiser was projecting for their clientele? The suggestion of taste and exclusivity would have been very powerful, yes? Curator: Exactly. Think about the role of women at that time, too. Stationery often represented a form of social connection for them. The image is projecting not just product quality, but participation in a wider network, perhaps even a way of demonstrating societal worth. Do you find anything jarring or unexpected in its composition? Editor: I didn't think of that... now it's much richer. At first glance, the various products and their compositions appeared to stand alone, unified primarily through a palette. But now it also represents the image of their clientele as they wanted to be perceived. That's actually incredible! Curator: Precisely! The advertisement can be a mirror, not only of the goods on display but the customer as well. It would have promoted dialogue within a variety of circles.