Portret van John Stol op de fiets c. 1900

Editor: Here we have an amazing gelatin silver print from around 1900: a "Portrait of John Stol on a Bicycle," whose artist we don't know. The black and white tones create an oddly heroic, yet vintage, impression. It’s cool, but also… slightly absurd, like a snapshot trying too hard. What’s your read? Curator: Absurd how? Because to me, this portrait whispers of transition. John Stol, on his velocipede, is more than a man on a machine; he’s straddling eras! See how the very static, formal portrait setting is almost fighting the dynamism implied by the bicycle? Someone wants to celebrate speed. I see hope and awkwardness all swirled into one delightful photograph. What if this photo is not even about cycling, but instead about control of technology in order to master the landscape? How are you seeing the picture beyond that? Editor: I didn't think about that push and pull, but that makes total sense! Maybe that's where the humor comes from, or at least for me. That historical awkwardness you mentioned! Curator: Precisely. And don’t dismiss that humour! It’s what makes it so relatable. Think about our own selfies: the performance, the desire to present a certain image. Is John Stol doing something different, really? Editor: No, you’re right. That quest for the perfect self, it never really goes away, does it? Even with cycling shorts that… well, maybe aren’t so flattering by today's standards. Curator: He would’ve thought the same of our outfits probably. Art connects when it lets us look in the mirror across time itself, you know? Editor: Wow, true! So this isn't just a dude on a bike...it's everyone who's ever wanted to be cool. Thanks for untangling that! Curator: My pleasure, never underestimate a man, or photo, on a bicycle! It always tells more of a story if you get curious.