Vanaf de railing 1940 - 1943

Editor: This photograph, “Vanaf de railing,” which translates to "From the railing" in English, was taken anonymously between 1940 and 1943. It’s a gelatin-silver print, and I find its snapshot quality incredibly compelling. It’s almost like stumbling upon a forgotten moment. What historical perspectives do you see in it? Curator: The 'snapshot quality' is key, I think. Consider the social context: 1940-1943. This photograph wasn't created as high art but likely as a personal record, during a time of intense social and political upheaval. Editor: You mean like wartime documentation? Curator: Precisely. The very act of documenting ordinary life from the railing of what appears to be a ship or ferry can be seen as a small act of defiance against the disruption of war, perhaps a striving for normalcy. Note how the composition places the viewer 'on board' experiencing something with the photographer. Does this prompt any associations? Editor: It’s like being present, looking at the land receding into the background from the moving boat. The immediacy of photography makes you believe this feeling even more, I suppose. I never considered personal photography during wartime as defiance before! Curator: It reflects a widespread human need. The image, likely tucked away in a family album—we see that this image is a book—became a private act, preserving fragments of a world threatened with erasure. Its presence in a museum collection raises interesting questions, doesn’t it? How and why did this personal artefact become public? What were the determining forces and powers to consider photography as art in an official gallery like the Rijksmuseum? Editor: Yes, it changes everything, from personal to public meaning. I guess this makes me look at family albums, generally, in a new way too. Curator: Indeed. Thinking about art in terms of how the art world, museums, and cultural expectations transform visual information definitely keeps things fresh.