Gezicht op de Sint-Bavokerk in Haarlem 1860 - 1890

This albumen print pictures the Grote Kerk, or Saint Bavo Church, in Haarlem, Holland, and was made by an anonymous photographer. Looking at this photograph, we can see the church dominating the city's architecture. The church itself, originally Catholic but converted to Protestantism after the Reformation, represents an institution at the heart of Dutch social and political life. Haarlem, where it stands, was a key city in the Dutch revolt against Spanish rule, which had a big impact on religious freedom and the development of a more tolerant society. The new technology of photography was itself undergoing institutionalisation at this time, and we can understand the photographer's choice to represent the church as demonstrating photography's own place within Dutch cultural life. To understand the photograph better, it would be useful to know more about the cultural and economic factors that were influencing the photographer, the publishing firm of A Zeger in Amsterdam, and their audience.