Groep caïds met een spel en thee c. 1880 - 1890

Editor: Here we have Étienne Neurdein's photograph, "Groep caïds met een spel en thee," taken sometime between 1880 and 1890. It's an albumen print that presents a seemingly casual gathering, but I find the staging to be quite deliberate. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Absolutely, you've picked up on something key there. Neurdein was a prominent figure in shaping European perceptions of North Africa. The "casualness" is a carefully constructed image feeding into Orientalist fantasies of an exotic and timeless 'other'. It presents a staged, ethnographic portrayal. The albumen print, with its warm sepia tones, romanticizes the scene, doesn’t it? Editor: Yes, it does. So it's not really showing us a true depiction of life at the time? Curator: It’s crucial to remember that photography in this era was rarely objective. Consider who is behind the camera and their intentions. How might the power dynamics between the photographer and the photographed subjects have influenced the final image? Notice the arrangement, the almost theatrical way these figures are posed, and think about who this image was *for*. It reinforces stereotypical views rather than offering an authentic representation. Editor: So it is really a constructed narrative, one that catered to Western audiences rather than reflecting reality. This piece almost freezes people within someone else’s imagination of them. It definitely provides another layer to consider how we look at history through art. Thank you! Curator: Precisely! Thinking critically about whose stories are told, and *how*, is essential for challenging those historical power imbalances and broadening our understanding of both art and the world.