Ruïne van de Marienburg nabij Alf, Duitsland 1881

This stereo card showing the ruins of Marienburg near Alf, Germany, was produced in 1881 by Sophus Williams. The photographic process would have involved coating a glass plate with a light-sensitive emulsion, exposing it in a large format camera, and then developing the negative in a darkroom. The material quality of the print – its sepia tone and soft focus – gives the scene a romantic, almost nostalgic quality. The ruin itself, constructed from rough-hewn stone, speaks to the labor and skill required to build such a structure. Think of the quarrying, transporting, and careful placement of each stone, all done by hand. Photographs like these were produced and consumed on an industrial scale. Stereo cards were a popular form of entertainment, mass-produced and widely distributed. They offered a glimpse into other places, other times. This image is evidence of a changing world, where hand-made structures are captured through an industrial process, making them available for mass consumption. The image encapsulates the tension between the old world and the new, between craft and industry.