Publiek tijdens de Varsity van 1893 in Haarlem 1893

Editor: This gelatin silver print, "Publiek tijdens de Varsity van 1893 in Haarlem" by Hendrik Herman van den Berg, it’s split into two scenes and shows crowds gathered for a rowing race. What strikes me is how ordinary it seems; everyone’s wearing dark clothing. What can you tell me about it? Curator: This work reveals much about late 19th-century Dutch society and the technologies shaping its representation. Let’s consider the gelatin silver print itself. This photographic process, relatively new at the time, democratized image production and distribution. Consider who would commission, take, or consume this image. Does it cater to the elite or reflect the broader access photography afforded? Editor: I guess I hadn't really considered that, I was stuck on how the subject looked rather mundane! So, the material conditions of photography change what and who gets photographed? Curator: Exactly. The mass production of photographic materials made images more accessible to the middle class. And beyond the technology, consider the rowing race itself. These regattas reinforced social hierarchies and promoted a specific idea of healthy national identity tied to the values of universities, the merchant class, and sport. Editor: I see what you mean! The act of photographing, distributing, and consuming images, as well as the leisure activity being documented all reveal the social structure of the time! Curator: Precisely. Analyzing this image as a material object within its specific historical and social context opens a fascinating lens through which to understand Dutch society. Editor: Thanks, I am going to look more at what an object’s materiality says about social forces from now on! Curator: I'm glad to hear it. It's a fruitful approach.