Aubade op de Dam in Amsterdam, 5 maart 1901, feestelijkheden ter gelegenheid van het huwelijk van koningin Wilhelmina en prins Hendrik 1901

Barend Groote captured these wedding celebrations in Amsterdam, 1901, with a camera. I’m wondering what it was like to be Groote, on the ground, looking up, trying to get the framing just right, waiting for that perfect moment to capture the atmosphere. Maybe he was thinking about how to frame it, and get the light right. The grainy texture feels almost like a painting in itself, with a sombre palette of grays, browns, and whites, that gives the image a timeless quality. I imagine him wanting to convey both the grandeur and the intimacy of this event. The dark heavy drapes on the balcony, contrast with the figures of the happy couple, perhaps suggesting something about duty and love. I think he would be part of a wider conversation about modern life, about the changing role of photography in documenting and shaping social memory.