Stadsgezicht before 1878

Curator: Before us is a photographic print titled "Stadsgezicht," which translates to "Cityscape." It was created before 1878 by Félix Bonfils. The piece is currently held in the Rijksmuseum. Editor: There's a delicate sepia tone that really catches the eye. It gives the impression of looking through time. A warm, nostalgic mood permeates the scene. Curator: Bonfils, active primarily in Beirut, often captured scenes reflecting European Orientalist views. His photographs were commercial but also informed colonial understanding of the region. The two panels show panoramas, labeled Sidon and Fikieh. Editor: It is curious how these two separate frames each show a place and thus suggest a collection, inviting you to construct relationships between them. Are they linked because both are exotic in the same way? Curator: Precisely. It is important to remember that even landscape photography carries a certain socio-political weight. How were these locations chosen? What did viewers back in Europe expect to see in images from this region? Editor: The rooftops become geometric patterns, flattening the cities into something more easily digestible, an experience for consumption and collecting. Look closely, and each seems populated with imagined stories waiting to be told or untold secrets. Curator: Indeed, this invites conversations about how photographic images like this perpetuated particular narratives and viewpoints and catered to a colonial audience. Editor: And how the artistic framing is already an interpretive act. Looking at "Stadsgezicht", it highlights photography’s powerful impact. What an artifact from a defining era in visualizing new territories! Curator: Absolutely. Thinking of Bonfils' images in a contemporary context makes one consider ethics of representation, the power dynamics inherent in visual storytelling.