Groep dansende en muziekmakende mensen 1879

Sophus Williams, a photographer based in Berlin, created this stereo card titled “Groep dansende en muziekmakende mensen” around 1879. These cards gained popularity in the mid-19th century, offering a 3D viewing experience when seen through a stereoscope. The photograph captures what seems to be a staged folk dance scene. The dancers, along with musicians and onlookers, are all dressed in what was considered traditional folk costumes. These costumes are powerful markers of cultural identity, suggesting an attempt to preserve or idealize rural traditions. Yet, there's an undeniable sense of artifice here. Williams was working in a time when ideas about national identity were being shaped and folk traditions were often romanticized. How much of what we see here is an authentic glimpse into rural life, and how much is a carefully constructed performance for an urban audience hungry for idealized images of the countryside?