Standbeeld van Jan Brand, president van Oranje Vrijstaat, in Bloemfontein 1901

This stereoscopic image shows a monument to Jan Brand, president of Orange Free State, in Bloemfontein. Though the photographer is anonymous, it was produced for the Underwood & Underwood publishing house, who were renowned for this type of image. The monument itself is a study in contrasts of materials and methods, though we can only infer what they are through the photograph. The statue is likely cast in bronze, a material favored for its durability and perceived permanence. The labor that went into creating this monument, from the quarrying of the stone for the plinth to the lost-wax casting process of the figure, speaks to the colonial ambition of imposing European aesthetics and values onto the South African landscape. Consider too the making of this photographic image, a mass-produced item intended to spread the idea of Jan Brand and the ideals of Orange Free State, which was of course built on the exploitation of the land and its people. Ultimately, looking closely at this stereo card, we can appreciate how materials and making are crucial to our understanding of history.