Rotterdamse haven op 15 mei 1940 Possibly 1940 - 1945

Curator: The "Rotterdamse haven op 15 mei 1940," an evocative photograph, captures the cityscape after the bombing, holding a place in the Rijksmuseum's collection. Editor: It has an eerie stillness, doesn't it? The muted tones and smoky haze feel almost apocalyptic. Curator: Absolutely. The cranes dominate the skyline, like skeletal remains, and for me, these stark shapes trigger images of loss and forced industrial progress. Editor: For me, it's the gelatin-silver print itself that is telling. This wasn't some mass-produced image. It feels meticulously crafted, almost as a conscious act of preservation in a time of immense destruction. The labor embedded in the medium amplifies the gravity of the depicted landscape, especially given the materials scarcity from those years. Curator: You highlight something interesting there, about craft and historical document, considering how photography at this time was seen. I read those cranes as symbols, almost monuments to labor made tragic—they once represented progress, but now oversee desolation. There’s a psychological weight in how they loom. Editor: Exactly, they are like silent witnesses but look at those barges: even with that damage all around, these people kept making and consuming! Those boats were crucial to maintaining supply lines and the semblance of normalcy during such a tumultuous period. Curator: True. I also wonder about the photographer’s intent. Is this supposed to be a grim reminder, or does it perhaps try to hint at a possibility for rebuilding through what it shows, an almost photographic memento mori, yet less interested in religious iconography and more focused on national resilience. Editor: Perhaps both intentions coexist. The stark realism avoids glorification and rather confronts us with a brutal picture of destruction but hints at perseverance through continuous material necessity of basic provisions of water transportation of that time. Curator: Ultimately, this photograph speaks volumes about memory and rebuilding and destruction; it shows both a will to carry on, but marks a trauma. Editor: It underscores how even seemingly simple photographic records from periods of chaos can become incredibly rich documents reflecting the interplay between labor, material culture, and society’s capacity to adapt.