Zijde van het stadhuis te Gennep c. 1902

This photograph, *Zijde van het stadhuis te Gennep*, was made by an anonymous photographer using gelatin silver print. It is a record of architecture. So, what do you do when you look at a photo like this? I think you zoom in on the surface and the details. Notice how the light hits the tiled roof, creating all these tiny shadows, a pattern that repeats. It reminds me that photography, like painting, is all about light and shadow, finding those edges. Look at the wall of the building, all these shades that are not quite brown. And then you notice the way the photographer frames the building at an angle. It feels a little off, a little awkward. Like they're trying to capture something that's just out of reach. Which makes sense, since buildings stand the test of time. It makes me think of Eugène Atget, another photographer who captured old buildings in Paris. There's this sense of history, of time passing, that both of them manage to convey, even without people in the frame.