Gezicht op Malaga 1860 - 1880

This stereoscopic image, “Gezicht op Malaga,” was made by Ferrier Père-Fils et Soulier. It is a scene of paradoxes: a modern industrializing city viewed from atop an ancient ruin. Malaga’s cathedral pierces the skyline, evidence of the city’s devout history. Yet the walls in the foreground remind us of the violence and conflict that defined this region for centuries. The stereoscopic design invites the viewer to immerse themself in the scene. This would have resonated with the cultural interests of its time, an era in which the bourgeois classes reveled in the ‘magic’ of new technologies. Consider the politics of creating exotic views for mass consumption in this period of European empire-building. How does this picture invite viewers to imagine their relationship with the foreign ‘other’? To understand this image more fully, we might consult city archives, records of the companies which produced the picture, and collections of popular imagery from this time.