Gezicht op Villefrance-sur-Mer, Frankrijk 1860 - 1870

Curator: Before us we have "Gezicht op Villefrance-sur-Mer, Frankrijk", a stereoscopic photograph created sometime between 1860 and 1870 by Ferrier Pére-Fils et Soulier. What strikes you first about this particular cityscape? Editor: The layering, definitely. The composition creates a strong sense of depth with that hillside looming over the buildings. I find the monochromatic palette almost… melancholic. Curator: It’s interesting you mention melancholy. Stereoscopic images, while intended to simulate depth and offer a more "realistic" view, also served to propagate certain romanticized visions of Europe. Villefranche, with its strategic port, would have been of particular interest to French colonial ambitions at the time. Editor: Absolutely. And photography, being relatively new, carried immense power in shaping perceptions of places and people. How were these images distributed? Who were the intended consumers? It certainly was not the working class that might have lived here. Curator: These images would have been circulated widely among the upper and middle classes. They became essential souvenirs of leisure travel. Think about it – this allowed consumers to experience distant places from the comfort of their homes, bolstering a sense of national pride and reinforcing colonial power structures. Editor: It feels vital to address the labor that made that leisure possible, too. Where does the toil of the residents of Villefranche factor into this seemingly placid scene? Did people who looked like me have access to this imagery or this leisurely vacation? Curator: That tension is what makes this piece so interesting. The very act of taking this photograph implicates it in a complex web of social, political, and economic realities. It wasn't merely capturing reality; it was curating a specific version of it. Editor: I see what you mean. So what we view here isn’t simply an idyllic seaside village. The artwork embodies and propagates a vision embedded within structures of power. Thanks for illuminating its depth, Curator. Curator: Indeed. Thank you for contributing your own very insightful lens, Editor.