Waiting in trenches near Arras for our creeping barrage to lift before pushing on 1914 - 1918

Curator: What we're looking at here is a gelatin silver print simply titled, "Waiting in trenches near Arras for our creeping barrage to lift before pushing on," dating from the period of the First World War, 1914 to 1918. Editor: Right away, this photograph exudes stillness and fatigue. There is a quiet vulnerability that speaks volumes. Curator: Precisely. The material itself—gelatin silver print—while commonplace at the time, gives it a certain immediacy. Mass produced, yet intimate, like a postcard from hell. Think about how these images circulated; flattened perspectives shaping public understanding of a global event through very tactile means. It shows the material means used to create a popular visual representation of soldiers in trenches. Editor: Yes! You sense that the weariness goes right down into the dirt. Each soldier looks absolutely swallowed by it all. The way they're posed or rather, slumped; heads in hands, leaning against the earth...it just feels crushing. Did the photographer stage these shots, I wonder, or simply capture moments of rest amid unending tension? There is some sort of staged reality and documentation present simultaneously. Curator: More than likely it’s staged or captured at opportune times; the 'Realistic Travels' imprint suggests these were created and distributed with some commercial and propagandistic intentions. That doesn't diminish its power, though. Think of all the resources required; the cameras, chemicals, distribution networks that helped the images spread. It is an image mass-produced for different stakeholders; manufacturers of arms, soldiers in battle, families affected. Editor: Absolutely. And to think that something so evocative emerged from such a complex web. Curator: Well, in viewing these photographic prints and images of soldiers at war and their effect, the tangible materials of its creation offer us something far more insightful to consider, beyond just historical events frozen in time. Editor: It almost dares us to forget the weight of those waiting moments. To honor what is contained in that exhaustion feels essential.