Gezicht op een onbekend gezelschap bij een huis in Québec before 1894

Curator: Here we see “Gezicht op een onbekend gezelschap bij een huis in Québec”, an image produced by Jules-Ernest Livernois before 1894, utilizing photographic print technology. The cityscape suggests a quiet observation of everyday life. Editor: It strikes me immediately as starkly segregated, these tiny black-and-white renderings against so much unused paper. This begs a lot of questions about exclusion in picture-making and archive-building at the time, I think. Curator: That's a valid point. This photograph, a historical record in itself, reflects the social norms and the photographer’s own perspectives during that era. It raises important questions about who had the agency to capture these images, and whose stories were left out of the visual narrative. Editor: I find myself thinking, too, about access and spectatorship. The image creates a space that is defined in part by what it excludes, who it obscures or marginalizes within the broader public sphere. Even in representing urban architecture, there’s a real opportunity here to challenge the dominance of eurocentric norms, because photography as technology travels and finds itself indigenized in really interesting ways. Curator: Precisely. In the late 19th century, photography held an enormous power in shaping collective memory. Therefore, examining these visuals under a decolonized, intersectional lens reveals subtle nuances of race, class, and power dynamics within the frame, while also acknowledging everything *outside* it. Editor: Absolutely. To me, even the composition itself can speak volumes about social stratification in Québécois society. Even something that appears neutral bears further investigation into implicit meanings of social power. Thank you, Jules-Ernest Livernois! Curator: Yes, absolutely! A great analysis; thank you.