Militaire oefening met paard te Fontainebleau 1896

Editor: This is "Military Exercise with Horse at Fontainebleau," a photograph from 1896, now at the Rijksmuseum. It's a sepia print, and it almost feels like a scene from a play, rather static and posed despite the activity. What's your take on this image? Curator: The stillness is precisely what intrigues me. Consider the late 19th century: photography was rapidly evolving, yet its relationship to power remained entrenched. Images like this one, depicting military exercises, reinforce narratives of national strength and masculine prowess, but they also reveal the artificiality of such constructs. Look at the figure posed precariously on the horse – it's spectacle, theater almost. Editor: So you're saying it's more than just documentation? Curator: Exactly. Ask yourself, who is this performance *for*? The audience in the background is observing a curated display of skill, reinforcing hierarchies and justifying military endeavors. How does that lens shift when we see these actions through a feminist lens, in the historical context of disenfranchisement? Editor: It’s like the photograph isn’t capturing a candid moment, but contributing to a specific ideal. I guess the “realism” of photography can be deceiving. Curator: Precisely. The photograph, even in its supposed objectivity, is always a constructed reality, carefully framing and selectively preserving certain narratives. What's more, whose narratives are suppressed or excluded when these heroic depictions dominate the visual landscape? Consider what’s missing. Editor: It definitely gives me a lot to think about. Seeing it as a constructed image changes everything. I hadn’t really thought about the social message underneath. Curator: Hopefully, by viewing historical artworks in context we will develop an inclusive art experience, creating a platform to represent voices that were under- or misrepresented at the time this picture was created.