Femmes Annamites, Cochinchine 1866

Émile Gsell made this albumen silver print entitled ‘Femmes Annamites, Cochinchine’ sometime in the 1860s or 70s. It depicts two Annamite women of Cochinchina, a French colony that is today part of Vietnam. The image gives us much to think about in terms of the history of colonialism. The women appear to be posed in a home interior setting, with traditional Vietnamese calligraphy scrolls hanging on the wall behind them. This might be intended to convey a sense of authenticity and local colour. At the same time, it is important to acknowledge the photographer's role as a Westerner representing a foreign culture. The photograph was likely produced for a Western audience, thus reinforcing colonial power dynamics. What does it mean for a European photographer to be capturing and circulating images of colonized people? To understand this artwork fully, we can look to historical documents, travel accounts, and studies of French colonialism in Vietnam. The meaning of art is always contingent on social and institutional context.