Twee gezichten op de oude en nieuwe Schouwburg op het Leidseplein 1894 - 1900

This page from an album in the Rijksmuseum presents two photographic prints showing the old and new Schouwburg on the Leidseplein. The composition is divided vertically, each photograph a distinct window into Amsterdam’s urban evolution. The photographs employ a structured, perspectival rendering. In the upper print, taken before the fire of 1890, notice how the building's classical facade is viewed at an oblique angle. The eye is drawn along the lines of the tram tracks towards a distant church spire. In the lower image, taken in 1894, the new Schouwburg’s architecture is more ornate. The building stands perpendicular to the viewer, its symmetry reflecting a shift in aesthetic values. The contrast is striking. The sepia tones and the way the images are presented – mounted within the album page – serve to historicize these urban spaces, inviting viewers to contemplate the transformations of place and memory. While unsigned, the formal arrangement of these prints speaks volumes about the cultural values attached to progress and architectural representation.