Twee meisjes ontvangen een bediende 1863 - 1875

Curator: This stereo card, dating from between 1863 and 1875, presents "Two Girls Receiving a Servant". Its author is, regrettably, unknown. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: Immediately, I’m drawn to the textures and the rather rigid composition. The layers of ruffles in the girls' dresses create this fascinating contrast with the polished surfaces behind them. It’s almost theatrical. Curator: The setting does lend itself to performance, doesn’t it? These cards, especially those intended for stereo viewing, were immensely popular among the burgeoning middle class. They offer a glimpse into aspirational lifestyles and social mores. The "genre painting" aspect highlights domestic rituals. Editor: Tell me more about this intended performance, or staged presentation... There is that single point perspective of orthogonals meeting centrally behind the sitting figure. And there seems to be two points to draw us forward with the stereoscope as an instrument to draw you into this performance as well. Is that the intent? To put the viewer, quite literally, into the domestic space of this elite setting? Curator: Indeed. These were consumed as both entertainment and social instruction. The arrival of a new servant was certainly a notable occasion in households of a certain status. It reinforced social hierarchies. And for the viewer? Yes, the construction invited viewers into an aspirational position... or at least reinforced for the audience their own domestic status. Editor: Semiotically, consider the gestures and costumes; such as a maid handing off to other "elite" actors. Curator: Precisely. The outfits are carefully rendered, emphasizing class distinctions, and are designed to provide insight for the photograph audience into their world. What might appear to modern eyes as mundane was imbued with social meaning. The photographic medium democratized the ownership of "paintings" portraying domestic tranquility but they are, to that point, obviously contrived. Editor: Despite that sense of artifice, the detail is still remarkable. This early photographic process picks up on tiny light fluctuations along surfaces and textiles! It has a palpable materiality for something of the time! I suspect, given a deeper understanding, we could discern social nuances about status just by understanding textile production and form... Curator: It encapsulates a moment, then. Both artistically and socially, giving us much to explore! Editor: It leaves me to muse on surface tension.