Gezicht op een straat met een aantal ramen waarachter licht brandt before 1902

This photograph, *Gezicht op een straat met een aantal ramen waarachter licht brandt,* captures a street scene in soft, shadowy tones. It might have been a long and involved printing process in the darkroom, where Carl Claudius coaxed the image out of the chemicals, adjusting and refining it until it appeared like a memory emerging from the depths. I can imagine Claudius wandering the streets, perhaps late at night or in the early morning, searching for a moment when the light and shadow would conspire to create something magical. The lights shining through the windows are like beacons in the darkness, inviting the viewer to imagine the lives unfolding inside. There’s a quiet, almost melancholic feeling that reminds me of the work of other photographers who are drawn to the beauty of the everyday, like Eugène Atget or Walker Evans. It is a reminder of the poetry that can be found in the most ordinary of places, if you just know where to look.