Tien bezienswaardigheden in Gérardmer before 1898

Curator: Here we have an albumen print entitled “Tien bezienswaardigheden in Gérardmer,” or “Ten attractions in Gérardmer,” created before 1898 by A. Thiriat. What's your initial take? Editor: It feels like a page from a bygone travelogue. These little snapshots are so charmingly arranged—almost like a scrapbook. A compilation of picturesque views and elegant interiors... There's a real sense of curated leisure. Curator: Indeed. Albumen prints such as this one, with their sepia tones and delicate detail, evoke a certain nostalgia for a time when travel was a more deliberate and, arguably, luxurious affair. Each scene carefully selected. I’m struck by the way each is a vignette of constructed beauty, designed for display. Editor: The repetition of the same lake landscape is interesting. It's a clear indicator of what the area was "selling" back then. But look closely—each tiny view promises a specific kind of experience, be it a quiet spot of nature or hydrotherapy at the establishment. What did such constructed experiences reflect about societal values? Curator: Perhaps it's telling us about the rising middle classes and the burgeoning tourism industry that catered to their desire for refined experiences. A photographic survey packaged to promote modern social ideals. The scenes present a selective memory, one carefully sculpted to align with social status. Editor: It highlights how photography itself became a tool for reinforcing cultural values and shaping public perception. Look at those manicured lawns and pristine interiors. The emphasis is firmly on portraying a world of order, beauty, and bourgeois respectability. Even a glimpse into the therapeutic potential on display promotes public health virtues and class ideals. Curator: And by presenting them together in one composition, Thiriat reinforces this notion of Gerardmer as a unified experience, carefully curated for the visitor. Editor: Right. It invites the viewer into an aspirational lifestyle where even leisure becomes part of a grand, photographed spectacle. Curator: Considering this work within the context of its time provides fascinating insights into social constructions. The images invite contemplation about leisure and travel... a blend of visual appeal, curated attraction, and quiet promotion of bourgeois societal structure. Editor: And that interplay between nature and designed artifice certainly speaks volumes. It reveals a society not just observing, but actively shaping, its experience.