Gezicht op de Alster en Hamburg en op de achtergrond de oude Beurs 1875 - 1900

Herm. Priester captured this view of the Alster in Hamburg with the old stock exchange in the background using photography, a medium still in its relative infancy. This moment in time occurred during a period of rapid industrialization and urbanization. Look at the Alster, the very heart of Hamburg. It’s a space, like many urban centers, being reshaped by industrial progress, reflecting the ambitions and anxieties of the era. Consider the architecture mirrored in the water: these are the structures of commerce and culture, symbols of a society in transition. But who had access to these spaces and opportunities? Who was excluded? This photograph reminds us that urban landscapes are not neutral; they are stages upon which the dramas of class, gender, and power play out, their reflections rippling across the waters of time.