Met klimop begroeide binnenplaats (aangeduid als 'La Charpenterie'), vermoedelijk bij een landhuis of kasteel in Frankrijk 1896 - 1899

Editor: Here we have Delizy’s "Courtyard Covered with Ivy (referred to as 'La Charpenterie'), Presumably at a Country House or Castle in France", taken sometime between 1896 and 1899. It's a beautiful photograph, seemingly simple, but it evokes such a feeling of calm. I'm struck by the interplay of light and shadow and I wonder, what do you see when you look at this piece? Curator: What interests me here is the "plein-air" nature of the work in the context of photography's burgeoning role. Was photography seen as just another form of capturing and owning landscapes akin to landed gentry ownership? The social implications behind the access, equipment and potential commercial use need careful review. Editor: So you're looking at the labor behind creating this photographic landscape, not just the aesthetics? Curator: Precisely. Who had access to this technology and the leisure to pursue ‘artistic’ photography en plein air? What kind of resources and networks were at play in deciding the viewpoint? Is there something class-based implicit in framing of private land with leisure as the central narrative? Editor: That’s fascinating. I hadn't considered the social and economic factors influencing even the *choice* of subject matter. The cost of equipment must have been a barrier, too. Curator: Exactly! And how would mass production of photographs like this change society's relationship to craftsmanship in other forms? It presents a whole new conversation when you consider this "artwork" less as high art, and more as an object shaped by social conditions and emerging markets. Editor: I see your point. Looking at it now, I’m thinking less about aesthetic value, and more about the societal changes implied in Delizy’s tools, process and subject! Curator: Excellent. It allows one to see that there's nothing necessarily ‘natural’ or straightforward in such picturesque composition. It’s very much a produced view shaped by power structures and economy of the era.