[Brick architecture in Lübeck] c. 1930s

Curator: This small photograph, attributed to Laurence Feininger, captures brick architecture in Lübeck. It's a silver gelatin print, quite diminutive at only 3.5 by 2.5 centimeters. Editor: My first thought? It’s like a glimpse into a dream, or a memory trying to surface. The ghostly figures of the vehicles only add to that feeling. Curator: Indeed, the negative print emphasizes the play of light and shadow, creating a sort of stage set for urban life. Note the stepped gables, a signature of Northern European architecture. Editor: It's a city frozen in time, yet those very vehicles suggest a world on the cusp of rapid change. It also reminds me of a charcoal rubbing of a gravestone! Curator: Very interesting! Feininger often explored the relationship between form and light, so this image is not just documentation, but an interpretation. Editor: Absolutely. This image feels like Feininger is inviting us to consider the stories that these old walls could tell. Curator: And it's a powerful reminder of the silent witnesses to history that surround us, isn't it? Editor: It is. And how sometimes, the most profound statements come in the smallest packages.