Vier studenten van de Openbare Handelsschool poseren aan boord van een schip tijdens een excursie naar de Oostzee 1889 - 1893

Editor: Here we have “Four Students of the Openbare Handelsschool Pose Aboard A Ship During An Excursion to The Baltic Sea," taken between 1889 and 1893, captured through the lens of Willem Frederik Piek Jr. I'm immediately struck by how this photograph seems to transport you to another time. There's a stillness, almost a formality to it that you don't see much these days. What stands out to you in this snapshot of history? Curator: Oh, the past is a different country, isn’t it? For me, beyond the sepia tones, lies the story, the untold narratives of these young men embarking on, perhaps, the grand adventure of their lives. Do you feel it? That anticipation mixed with a healthy dose of Edwardian propriety? Editor: I do, it’s palpable. Almost like a before-and-after shot – before their careers began and after their school days. I like that they all wore their bowler hats to ride a boat. Curator: Indeed! What do you suppose the Baltic Sea felt like to them? A vast unknown or simply a bracing taste of what the world offered beyond the school walls? A voyage to discover self, society and commerce at once? What are the key components here that inform the purpose of this expedition and its era? What feelings did they hide with those stern looks? What stories lay unwritten and, alas, unknown to our days? That’s what strikes me here… Editor: That's beautiful - pondering all those unknowns and invisible elements surrounding this seemingly still moment. Now that I think of it, this photo is no longer just a time capsule from the late 19th century – it transforms itself into an allegory for the uncertain seas of education. Curator: Exactly! Isn’t that what good art, even a photograph, does? It echoes. It lingers, demanding us to become part of the journey!