Deur in de zijgevel van de Saint-Maclou te Rouen door Jean Goujon c. 1875 - 1900

Editor: This photograph, taken by Étienne Neurdein sometime between 1875 and 1900, captures a door in the side facade of the Saint-Maclou church in Rouen. It looks so intricately carved and detailed; there's a sense of imposing history. What stands out to you? Curator: Well, the image itself is already mediating history for us. Neurdein's choice to photograph this Gothic door, specifically highlighting the craftsmanship attributed to Jean Goujon, participates in a 19th-century fascination with the medieval period. What narratives are being constructed by focusing on this architectural detail, and who is this image for? Consider that this photograph was produced during a time of intense nation-building and religious revival. How might this image speak to anxieties and aspirations of the period? Editor: So, you're saying it's not just a picture of a door? Curator: Exactly. We should be questioning why *this* door, why *this* church, and what social or political function it fulfilled within its time. Who has access, historically and contemporarily, and what statement is this visual being made? What stories are privileged and what erased within the context of this representation? Editor: It's amazing to think about a simple photograph carrying so much historical weight and so many potential meanings related to politics. Curator: And how those meanings continue to shift depending on who is engaging with the image, even today. What stories did you bring to the image? How has our conversation changed this? Editor: Definitely gave me a new perspective. I'll be thinking about context a lot more when I look at photographs now. Curator: Excellent. It is imperative that the conversation includes those critical elements.