Roeiers met toeschouwers op de roeibaan before 1888

Editor: So, this is "Roeiers met toeschouwers op de roeibaan," a photograph by Albert Londe, created before 1888. It looks like an albumen print pasted into a personal sketchbook. The aged paper gives it such a nostalgic feel. What catches your eye when you look at this? Curator: The intimacy of it. We often see finished photographs displayed formally, but this glimpse into what feels like an artist’s personal journal, a visual diary of sorts, is special. You see the world as Londe saw it. There is also a tension of time. This is a fleeting moment frozen in a very deliberate, almost permanent way within this book. Makes you wonder what other secrets this sketchbook holds, doesn’t it? Does the facing page relate? Are those notes Londe’s own? Editor: That's interesting, I hadn't really thought of the “permanence” side. What about the composition? The trees lining the river bank…they remind me of Impressionist paintings. Curator: Absolutely! Londe was active during the rise of Impressionism. I love the use of light here, even in the restricted tones of the albumen print. You get a sense of the sunlight reflecting off the water and illuminating the rowers. Also notice how the focus softens with distance, creating an almost dreamlike quality. The crowds along the shore hint at the spectacle of the race itself. Tell me, what feeling does that soft focus bring to you? Editor: It’s almost like the image is dissolving into a memory…fragile, precious. And looking closer, the opposing page actually has handwritten notes! Thanks, I am paying more attention to photography. Curator: Indeed. I am thrilled to look more carefully and thoughtfully in my future museum visits too.