Boulevard de la Croisette te Cannes c. 1888 - 1890

Curator: Welcome! Today, we’re looking at a photograph titled "Boulevard de la Croisette te Cannes," by Neurdein Frères, dating back to the late 1880s. It is an albumen print. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: I’m struck by how…still it feels. It's obviously a bustling place, even back then, but the photograph gives it a serene quality. All those muted tones of browns. What’s your interpretation? Curator: This image is not merely a scenic view; it's a visual document entrenched in the sociopolitical landscape of its time. Photography like this cemented places like Cannes in the minds of the elite as a playground, an escape. Who had access to that escape? Whose labor built and maintained this “serene” environment? The photographic process itself – the choices of framing, composition, the very act of documentation – played a role in shaping and reinforcing power structures. Editor: So you’re saying this photograph, while beautiful, also kind of reinforces a certain…privilege? The gaze of the photographer, capturing the leisure of the wealthy? Curator: Precisely. Consider how this image might have been consumed. As a postcard, perhaps? An advertisement? Each viewing reiterates a specific narrative, a romantic vision carefully constructed to entice a particular audience. Do you notice how the working class are absented from the composition? How the space seems designed specifically to preclude those bodies? Editor: I see what you mean. The lack of diversity within the space itself makes the photograph inherently political, subtly endorsing the exclusivity of the location. So this picturesque image conceals deeper societal issues? Curator: Absolutely. Photography doesn't simply reflect reality; it actively shapes our understanding of it. Reflect on what isn't shown – those are the silences that speak volumes about the power dynamics at play. Editor: I’ve definitely learned a lot about the silent stories this photograph is trying to tell. It really challenges you to look beyond the surface. Curator: And hopefully encourages you to question whose stories are being told, and whose are being intentionally left out.