Sculptuur van Sneeuwwitje en de boze heks c. 1855 - 1890

Curator: This image presents "Sculptuur van Sneeuwwitje en de boze heks," a sculptural tableau photographed between 1855 and 1890 by Johann Friedrich Stiehm. Stereoscopic photographs like these were popular ways to experience sculpture at a distance, so the question becomes whether they can act as an equal artistic product, or if they merely document art? Editor: Gosh, that title is intense. My first impression is a strange mix of vulnerability and impending doom. She looks really distraught. You've gotta wonder what awful words the old crone is whispering to her. Curator: Precisely. We need to examine how this photographic reproduction reflects prevailing patriarchal narratives of victimhood and manipulation of young women through this very famous fairy tale. Who controls her destiny within this visual framework? Editor: Sheesh, lighten up a little. Look, whether it’s a statement about misogyny, or whatever, it still gives off real melancholy vibes. Snow White's got that “I can’t believe what I'm hearing" look on her face. The sharp lighting on her forehead accentuates her anxiety. Curator: True, but it’s important to consider how the idealization of victimhood intersects with the politics of representation. Snow White is constructed here not merely as vulnerable, but as utterly dependent, reinforcing limiting archetypes that require analysis and critique. In many of the interpretations of this fairly tale the queen uses a disguise to poison Snow White, preying upon beauty by contrasting it against her wizened and conniving self. Editor: All good points. Though, there is a tenderness about this scene, I can't help but wonder about the comfort the hag might be offering. Look at how closely they are composed within the frame: each depends upon the other to produce the very narrative it conveys. Curator: An interesting reading, I concede. A complex relationship underscored with interdependence within oppressive dynamics should always be interrogated. But how might this image be viewed, for example, through the lens of intersectionality? Editor: Okay, okay, deep thoughts for sure. On my part, a definite reminder that even pretty pictures can hide layers and layers of unsettling stories! Curator: Exactly. The surface is just the starting point; rigorous study is what gets us to the heart of it.