Eerste bedrijf, zesde scène van La biche au bois 1873 - 1874

This stereograph by Charles Dauvois presents the sixth scene of the first act of "La Biche au Bois." The image captures a moment from this popular 19th-century French fairy tale, staged for the theater. Consider the cultural context of this piece; fairy tales, like La Biche au Bois, were not just entertainment, they were a reflection of societal values and norms. The characters embody certain ideals, and the narratives often reinforce particular social structures. The ballerinas in their tutus, the regal figures in their finery, all play into a hierarchy of beauty and power that was very much a part of the 19th-century social landscape. However, the image also invites us to think about identity. Who were these performers? What were their lives like? What did it mean to embody these roles, to step into these stories? And how did the audience, in turn, identify with these characters and narratives? It's a moment frozen in time, a window into a world of fantasy and spectacle that also tells us something about the society that created and consumed it.