Vijver met fontein en eenden in een tuin c. 1900 - 1930

Editor: This photograph, “Vijver met fontein en eenden in een tuin” taken by Richard Tepe between 1900 and 1930, captures a fountain in a garden. It has a somewhat dreamlike quality, partly due to the tonal range of the sepia. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Well, let's start with the materiality. It's a photograph, so we have to think about the chemistry involved in creating this image. What kind of paper was used? How long was the exposure time? Those things shape our understanding of what we're seeing. What can you tell me about the process involved in photography at this time? Editor: I understand photography from this era could be manipulated, it's interesting to consider how those choices may have informed the final result. But more than that, is it meant to depict reality? Curator: Exactly! And what kind of reality? This scene presents an idealized version of leisure, doesn’t it? The manicured garden, the fountain, the ducks – they all speak to a certain social class and access to resources. Think about the labour required to maintain this kind of space. How does that inform the overall image? Editor: I see your point. It's not just a pretty picture, it’s representative of its context, alluding to a stratified society, and an ideal produced by consumption. Is it a commentary? Curator: Perhaps not an overt one. But by understanding the material conditions of its creation, and the social context in which it was produced and consumed, we gain a much richer understanding of what the photograph communicates. Don't you agree? Editor: I do! Seeing it this way emphasizes what's present and absent in the image, layering the photographic process, the setting and period on top of my first impressions. Thanks for offering this perspective.