Wintersportvakantie in Semmering, Oostenrijk Possibly 1930 - 1932

This is a page from an album of photographs, taken around February and March 1930, by Berti Hoppe. The making of photographs is itself an interesting process to consider. From the preparation of the gelatin silver emulsion on the paper, to the use of a camera obscura, all the way to the darkroom work and mounting the images, Hoppe would have had to master a combination of chemistry, optics, and manual dexterity. The small scale of the photographs, and their arrangement on the page, suggests a personal, intimate feel. The images on the page show a winter vacation scene in Semmering, Austria. We see views of the landscape, a person relaxing on a veranda, and a couple walking in the snow. In the early 20th century, photography was becoming increasingly accessible, yet it still required skill and patience to produce high-quality prints like these. The creation of such a personal artifact, with its careful arrangement of images and handwritten captions, speaks to the value placed on leisure and memory in a rapidly changing world. By considering the materials, processes, and context of this photograph album, we can begin to understand its significance beyond the simple depiction of a winter vacation.