Gezicht op het voormalige jachtslot van Oldenbarnevelt of Torenzicht te Poeldijk 1904

This photograph, made anonymously, shows us the Gezicht op het voormalige jachtslot van Oldenbarnevelt of Torenzicht te Poeldijk. It’s like a faded memory, all muted sepias and greys. What I find myself drawn to is the surface quality: the print isn’t glossy or smooth, but instead has a sort of matte, almost crumbly texture, like looking at something through a veil of dust. It's hard to tell exactly when it was made, which lends the image a timeless quality, as if the building has always existed in this state of gentle decay. There’s a softness to the image, a dream-like quality that makes the building feel both present and distant. I find myself wondering about the photographer, and what they were hoping to capture. Did they want to preserve the memory of this place, or were they simply drawn to its quiet beauty? It reminds me a little of some of the early architectural studies made by Eugène Atget, though his felt a little more like documents, and this image, with its soft focus and muted tones, has a distinctly melancholic feel.