Café chantant aan de Champs-Elysées, Parijs 1851 - 1880

This stereo card depicts a Café chantant on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, made by an anonymous photographer. Stereo cards like this one became popular in the mid-19th century, offering a glimpse into global scenes for those who couldn't travel. This image presents us with a paradox. On one hand, it democratized access to visual experiences of other places; on the other hand, it was also a tool of colonialism, often exoticizing and objectifying the people and places it depicted. The statues that decorate this space, while appearing classical, also carry the weight of cultural appropriation, embodying an era where Western aesthetics were imposed upon diverse cultural contexts. The architecture of the café chantant itself, a space for entertainment and social gathering, became a stage where class distinctions were both blurred and reinforced. What does it mean to create leisure spaces? What rules of social engagement are established, and who has access? These are the questions which stay with me.