Place des Diamants en een deel van de stad Ajaccio gelegen aan de Corsicaanse kust c. 1886 - 1896

Henry Pauw van Wieldrecht made this photograph of the Place des Diamants in Ajaccio, Corsica, sometime around the turn of the 20th century. At this time, photography was emerging as both a documentary tool and a form of artistic expression. Here, the carefully composed image presents a wide view of the public square, framed by trees and buildings. The orderly arrangement reflects the values of urban planning and social control characteristic of European cities during this period. Ajaccio, as the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte, held particular significance in French national identity. The “Place des Diamants” itself speaks to a certain marketing of the city, an attempt to make it sparkle. Consider the photographer's choices. What does he choose to include or exclude? How might the composition reinforce certain ideas about modernity, progress, and national pride? By exploring such questions and drawing on sources from the period, we can gain deeper insights into the complex interplay between art, society, and history.