Zeldzame grasboom die alleen in Australië groeit c. 1900 - 1935

Editor: This photograph, "Zeldzame grasboom die alleen in Australië groeit"—or "Rare Grass Tree that Only Grows in Australia"—is attributed to Neville Keasberry and was taken sometime between 1900 and 1935, using a gelatin-silver print. It looks… staged, somehow, but maybe that’s just the double frame. What do you see in it? Curator: Staged, yes, but maybe a deliberate choice, playing with that slightly uncanny feeling that early photography often evokes! What grabs me is this incredible grass tree itself, almost like a fantastical creature posed in front of the somewhat colonial-looking house. Look at the texture captured in the print—those spiky fronds, so different from the manicured gardens surrounding it. It’s like nature is trying to reclaim the scene. Do you get a sense of that tension too? Editor: I do now! It's less of a portrait of a plant and more like a portrait *with* a plant, in a specific time and place. Curator: Exactly! And consider this was a stereoscopic photograph, meant to create a 3D effect. Imagine how that would amplify the strangeness of the tree, making it pop out from its surroundings. It transforms the image from a simple botanical study into something much more… theatrical. Editor: So, the framing and the 3D effect really play up the weirdness? I’d have missed that. Curator: Completely. The colonial gaze observing nature but slightly perplexed. These early photos can be full of surprises. Editor: That’s such a different way of looking at what I thought was just a picture of a tree. Thanks for opening my eyes.