Doos van koning Lodewijk IX van Frankrijk, gezien vanaf de achterkant c. 1876 - 1883

Editor: Here we have Léon Vidal's print "Box of King Louis IX of France, Seen from the Back", made between 1876 and 1883. It's fascinating to see such an old object captured through the relatively new medium of photography. What layers of historical context do you think are embedded within this image? Curator: This photograph exists as more than just documentation; it’s an intervention. Consider the choice to photograph the back of the box. It disrupts a purely celebratory gaze on power, doesn't it? It redirects us away from the King's symbolic authority to perhaps the labour and design… or even, dare I suggest, the vulnerabilities inherent in displaying power. Editor: Vulnerabilities? I hadn't thought of it that way. It seemed like a straightforward historical record. Curator: But what constitutes a historical record, and whose narratives does it privilege? This image could also be seen as part of a larger discourse on the construction of national identity in late 19th-century France. It uses photography to revisit and reinforce narratives around monarchy at a time of significant social upheaval. Think about the relationship between photography, truth, and the construction of history itself. How does capturing an object like this serve political ends? Editor: So, the very act of photographing and displaying it participates in shaping a particular understanding of French history? Curator: Precisely. It invites us to critically examine how photography was—and continues to be—instrumental in crafting and perpetuating particular versions of history. Think about who gets to control the narrative and who is left out. Who decides what deserves to be documented? Editor: That really changes my perspective. I was so focused on the object itself. Curator: And that's the key - seeing the object within its broader social, political, and historical web allows us to challenge accepted narratives. It reminds us that archives, even photographic ones, are never neutral. Editor: This makes me want to dig deeper into the artist's other works, to see what other statements he was trying to make about French identity through these images. Thanks!