Scène uit Assepoester 1867

Charles Dauvois created this sepia-toned stereo card, “Scene uit Assepoester,” using photography. The eye is immediately drawn into a spectacle densely packed with figures and theatrical artifice, all rendered in a narrow tonal range. This composition invites a structural reading of how space is organized to convey meaning. The photograph divides into distinct horizontal layers. At the base, elegantly dressed characters are arranged, seemingly engaged in interaction. Above, a tiered backdrop rises, populated by figures elevated on plinths or mounds, culminating in a tableau of individuals holding aloft what appear to be palm fronds. This layering creates a sense of depth, yet simultaneously flattens the pictorial space. The use of repetition, particularly in the arrangement of figures, suggests a concern with symmetry and order, typical of nineteenth-century stagecraft. These formal elements evoke questions about the construction of spectacle and the representation of social hierarchies within popular entertainment. Note how Dauvois uses composition not just to depict a scene, but to construct a visual discourse.