Soir de paye : A Cultural Biography of an Image in Twentieth-Century Sweden

Sammanfattning

This thesis examines the Swedish biography of the sculpture Soir de paye (1906) by the French artist Achille Jacopin. That is, rather than treating the work as a stable object, it follows how it was reproduced, distributed and interpreted in Sweden, across media, institutions, and discursive contexts. This is done through an archival and image ecological approach, placing equal emphasis on material configurations as the contemporary discussions on the image. The findings show that the image was reproduced thousands of times in a variety of media: from poster, to snow sculpture to tableau. Through the processes of reproduction and circulation, particularly by actors within the temperance movement, the image became part of its broader visual repertoire and an emblem of the debate on alcohol legislation. It also became a shared cultural reference, appearing in works such as Victor Sjöström’s film The Phantom Carriage (1921). Initially celebrated as a reflection of reality, its analogous relationship with the outside world was eventually refuted and the image fell into disuse. This study broadens knowledge on Swedish temperance organisations and visual culture, suggesting that examining the circulation of a single image can provide valuable insights into cultural structures. At the same time, the uneven survival of material evidence illuminates the selective nature of cultural memory.