Standbeeld van Joséphine de Beauharnais te Parijs 1860 - 1880

Editor: This is a photograph by Albert Mansuy, taken sometime between 1860 and 1880. It’s a shot of the statue of Joséphine de Beauharnais in Paris. It's interesting seeing a photograph OF a statue! The way the light hits the sculpture almost makes it look like she’s glowing. What jumps out at you when you see this? Curator: The image reverberates with symbolic weight. Notice how Joséphine is posed, almost reverentially. The artist is not simply capturing an image, but perpetuating a narrative. What details might reflect this constructed persona? Editor: I see the classic, almost Grecian dress, and how she’s standing next to what looks like an urn or a classical column. Those definitely contribute to the sense of…dignity, I guess. Curator: Precisely! Those elements echo a bygone era, connecting her to a lineage of power and refinement. The garland of flowers she holds too… floral imagery often symbolizes fertility, beauty, but also ephemerality. What feelings do these historical allusions trigger in us today? Editor: Thinking about her now, in our time, there’s definitely some tension there. She was a real person, a woman who held immense power. But this photograph, even of a statue, feels more like a constructed idea than a portrayal of her lived experience. Curator: That tension is precisely the point! This is how photography engages in a dialogue with power, memory and representation. Understanding the symbols embedded within reveals a desire to immortalize, to control how history remembers. It is an exercise in creating a lasting cultural memory. Editor: It’s fascinating how much more there is to this than just a pretty picture. It’s a carefully constructed message about power, legacy, and the way we choose to remember. Curator: Yes, and how these curated symbols continue to resonate. We’re left to consider whose stories are told, and who gets to tell them.