Hellingen met wijngaarden en reclameborden van de Côte Rôtie 1904

Editor: Here we have Delizy's photograph "Hellingen met wijngaarden en reclameborden van de Côte Rôtie," or "Slopes with vineyards and advertising signs of the Côte Rôtie" from 1904, housed at the Rijksmuseum. The sepia tones give it an antique feel, but the hillside itself is so intensely cultivated. What do you see when you look at this photograph? Curator: I see a landscape mediated. The hillside is carved, reshaped. The most striking symbolic intrusion, of course, are the advertising boards. They shout across the cultivated vines. They mark a specific moment: the burgeoning age of mass marketing. Editor: So, the landscape itself tells a story? Curator: Absolutely! The terraced slopes suggest generations of labour, a deep connection to the land. Yet, the stark lettering of the advertisements hints at a newer, perhaps more transient relationship – the commodification of the very fruits of that labour. The boards compete visually with the hillside, becoming a kind of visual noise that signifies commerce’s ascendance in daily life. They serve almost as icons of that transition. Editor: Icons... So these billboards aren't just ads, but symbols? Curator: Exactly! They're evidence of cultural values shifting, whispering of progress and consumption elbowing their way into even the most traditional landscapes. Ask yourself: what story will our advertisements tell to future generations? Editor: I never considered photography being a place where all these narratives could intersect. It’s really powerful to consider layers of meaning within such a seemingly simple scene. Curator: Indeed, and now hopefully when we encounter these hillside images, we'll not only recognize its obvious charm but we'll begin to see these hidden narratives too.