Gang in de gevangenis op de Prinsegracht te Den Haag before 1908

This photograph, taken by an anonymous photographer at Monumentenzorg, shows a corridor in the Prinsegracht prison in The Hague. What can the material of photography, and its method, tell us about the place? Photography has a peculiar relationship to truth. Its apparent realism can serve as a powerful tool of documentation. But that power resides as much in the choices made by the photographer – what to include or exclude, how to frame the subject – as in the objective reality of the scene. Here, the stark black and white tones heighten the sense of confinement, while the long corridor emphasizes the relentlessness of institutional space. Consider, too, the labor involved in the creation of such an image. Not just the photographer’s work, but the entire industrial apparatus required to produce film, develop prints, and disseminate them. This photograph is a testament to the power of the modern gaze, one that seeks to capture and categorize even the most hidden corners of society. Appreciating the materials, the processes, and the context of its making allows us to more fully understand its cultural significance.