Belle-Alliance-Platz, gezien richting de Friedrichstraße, Berlijn 1868 - 1870

Curator: Let’s consider this albumen print by Johann Friedrich Stiehm, taken between 1868 and 1870. It presents Belle-Alliance-Platz, viewed towards Friedrichstrasse in Berlin. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: An unsettling placidity pervades. The stark contrast between the seemingly vacant plaza and the monument implies a latent, suppressed energy—a history waiting to be activated. The photographic style itself seems to distance the viewer, flattening what I imagine was once a bustling center into a tableau of restrained social order. Curator: Indeed, Stiehm masterfully uses the albumen process to capture the architectural precision of the square. Notice how the strong horizontal lines of the buildings anchor the composition, creating a sense of stability which is then vertically punctuated by the monument. The placement of the figures is crucial. They serve to define the spatial volume but remain almost like sculptural elements themselves. Editor: And who are these figures? Predominantly men, distinguished in stature, perhaps asserting dominance within the public arena? The slight blurring implies transient inhabitants amidst permanent authority embodied by the war memorial above. This evokes questions around class, representation, and who has the right to occupy such a space within burgeoning Imperial Berlin. Curator: Precisely! The photographer has captured not only the space itself but its function as a stage for societal dynamics. See how the light and shadow interact across the square, creating texture that enhances the perception of depth and emphasizing architectural details? It brings a three-dimensionality to an essentially flat medium, a complex interplay of realism. Editor: What about the legacy that Stiehm creates through his photograph? Photography was still relatively new and rapidly becoming essential in shaping collective memories. What kind of Berlin is this photo endorsing and potentially omitting, in terms of who is present versus absent in such a scene of monumental importance? Curator: Ultimately, this albumen print reveals a studied composition; a deliberate structuring of space and form. It invites close consideration of the medium’s ability to translate and perhaps, idealize a specific vision. Editor: The photograph acts not merely as documentation, but as an assertion—concerning who is worthy of commemoration in the narrative of Berlin's spatial, sociopolitical existence. These elements demand a deeper investigation.