Rendieren in vermoedelijk Zweden c. 1890 - 1895

Curator: Here we have an intriguing gelatin silver print, titled "Rendieren in vermoedelijk Zweden," which translates to "Reindeer in presumably Sweden," created circa 1890-1895, credited to A. Olson. Editor: The sepia tones give it an archaic feel. There's a textural density here. The composition creates a somewhat impenetrable mass. All the reindeer, with the tangle of antlers, almost forming a single plane. Curator: Considering the likely time of its creation, photography like this served as crucial visual documentation for constructing notions of national identity. Reindeer, and Sami populations inextricably connected to them, are critical to Scandinavian cultural and economic histories. Editor: I find myself returning to that tonal uniformity, though. It’s key to the effect. It diminishes depth and shadow in favor of a pervasive flatness and stillness. It invites you to explore the material processes that constructed it. Curator: Indeed. And understanding those processes sheds light on the relationship between image-making and power. Photography in the late 19th century often participated in what we might consider a form of visual colonialism. It presents the people and landscapes of the region in very specific ways. Consider the very title “presumably Sweden” is already positioning the artwork and possibly creating some kind of doubt related to a very specific geolocation of indigenous populations. Editor: The very choice of "gelatin silver print" highlights that material intervention. This wasn't just a snapshot, but a chemical process to make tangible, to literally materialize, that far-off scene. The choice informs our interpretation. Curator: Exactly, which brings the work in conversation with feminist theories relating to image creation as labor; a process that in and by itself already generates new narratives about the photographed landscape and the figures depicted in it. Editor: So, where do we settle? A record of Scandinavian realism or a construction of visual knowledge? Curator: I’d say it’s both, inextricably linked and fraught with layers of historical and cultural meaning that keep it relevant today. Editor: Yes, perhaps those layers are the very source of its lingering intrigue.