Mlle Rousseau dans la Muette de Portici [?] 1863

Editor: This is "Mlle Rousseau dans la Muette de Portici [?]", an albumen print collage made around 1863 by André-Adolphe-Eugène Disdéri. The arrangement of photos makes me think about the beginnings of cinema. What kind of statement do you think Disdéri was trying to make here? Curator: Think of this image as a fragmented echo of Romanticism's fervor. “La Muette de Portici,” an opera about revolution, pulses beneath these images. Rousseau, a dancer, embodies the opera’s themes through her multiple photographic selves. Consider, too, that dance, then as now, relies on codified gestures, a kind of symbolic language. Editor: So, you are saying the dancer herself represents symbolic gestures? Curator: Precisely! Her poses, frozen yet sequential, aren't just aesthetic choices. They whisper of rebellion, freedom, and the silent strength of the oppressed – themes ignited by the opera and mirrored in the very act of collage. The photographic medium itself was revolutionary, capable of capturing and disseminating images widely. Do you see a connection between the dance, the opera and this medium? Editor: Absolutely. The layering effect of the photographs, how it shows multiple views in quick succession, does add to the idea of unfolding narrative. It really emphasizes movement. Curator: It’s a cultural memory preserved, isn't it? Disdéri uses not just photography, but its then-novel potential for reproduction and dissemination to make that memory more durable. Editor: It is interesting to think about how the meaning of an artwork transforms when media and artistic movements combine and change over time! Curator: Indeed. We’ve barely scratched the surface here. These images speak volumes when you begin to decode their language.