Mementos of a Trip 1862

Editor: We're looking at Jules Ferdinand Jacquemart's "Mementos of a Trip," an etching from 1862 held at The Art Institute of Chicago. The first thing I notice is the pile of worn shoes – they create a sense of intimacy, like we’ve just walked into someone’s private space. What do you see in this piece? Curator: This image speaks volumes about 19th-century travel and social class. Shoes, especially worn ones, are powerful signifiers. What narratives of access and mobility are evoked when viewing this imagery? Editor: That’s a great question, mobility of which groups in particular? It seems like, back then, not everyone could afford leisure travel like this. Curator: Precisely. The very title, "Mementos of a Trip," suggests privilege. What does it mean to collect "mementos"? It is tied to the ability to embark on these journeys. Are these souvenirs from colonial expeditions, or the trappings of a bourgeois escape from industrial society? Jacquemart has family ties to the Middle East: do those influence his art? Editor: So the image becomes a comment on access to travel as a symbol of social standing and maybe even imperial power. I had initially just focused on the composition, but now I see it points to the socioeconomic context of the time. Curator: Absolutely. What do you see, when these "mementos" – the cast-off objects – are arranged for our gaze? Who is this voyager? How does their class and gender play into the art? Editor: This really makes me think about art's role in both reflecting and shaping societal views on mobility and access. Curator: Exactly! It encourages us to consider who gets to travel, who gets to record those travels, and whose stories get told through art. Editor: Wow, I never thought I could analyze an etching of shoes from that angle! Thanks! Curator: My pleasure. It is vital we always question art and society through an intersectional lens.