View of a Steam Engine 1870 - 1880

Editor: Here we have an interesting piece, "View of a Steam Engine," created sometime between 1870 and 1880. It's a photograph, by an anonymous artist. I’m immediately drawn to the apparent emptiness – or perhaps it's more accurate to say potential. What do you find most striking about it? Curator: For me, the materiality is key. A steam engine, the subject implied by the title, embodies industrial progress – think about the literal metals, the coal fueling it. Then you have photography, a relatively new industrial art form. The means of production are front and center, even with the void where an image would be. Do you see what that could mean for labour? Editor: I think so...are you saying it might be more about the *idea* of progress, rather than any actual depiction? What is its emptiness all about? Curator: Precisely. Consider the photographic process of the time – the labor, the chemicals, the heavy equipment. Even without the image, these elements represent significant human and industrial input. The implied presence of the engine speaks to mass production, while this single print, framed for viewing, points to consumption. Editor: That makes a lot of sense. So it's a photograph ABOUT industrialization, and not necessarily a photograph OF a steam engine. A clever commentary through absence. Curator: Indeed! And notice the framing – how does its formality juxtapose with the grittiness implied by the steam engine and early photography? The frame highlights the commodity aspect, inviting reflection on value. It also brings a certain visual closure as a historical object and invites the public to reflect on the meaning. Editor: I hadn't considered the framing so directly, and its connection with commodity! I see it now! Thanks for your interpretation. Curator: My pleasure! I found a good amount here.