Fotoreproductie van het schilderij 'Jerusalem, Church of the Holy Sepulchre' door Conway Shipley before 1865

Editor: This is an albumen print dating from before 1865. It's a photographic reproduction of Conway Shipley's painting, "Jerusalem, Church of the Holy Sepulchre," glued onto a larger album page. I’m immediately struck by the sense of distance. It's a cityscape, but one presented almost as a relic. What stands out to you? Curator: The presentation within the album format is significant. These photographic albums gained popularity among the Western middle class as ways to document travels or display collections. The “Orient,” in particular, was often consumed visually, with photographs serving as portable souvenirs. Consider how the photograph flattens the lived experience of Jerusalem, turning it into a commodity. How might this photographic "capture" of the Holy Land reinforce certain power dynamics between the West and the East? Editor: So, you’re saying it’s not just a picture, but a political statement? Curator: Not overtly, perhaps, but photography at this time played a huge role in shaping Western perceptions of other cultures. These images circulated widely, influencing how people understood—and often exoticized—the Middle East. This print contributes to a visual culture where the ‘Orient’ became a spectacle for Western consumption. Did you notice the small scale and its placement on the page? Editor: Yes, almost like a specimen. It feels detached. Curator: Exactly. Its display conditions it for a Western gaze and suggests how access and knowledge was often mediated in that period through curated experiences, emphasizing collection, control and a sort of armchair tourism. Editor: That's fascinating; I hadn't thought about it that way. I'll definitely look at similar images with a more critical eye now. Curator: Indeed, photography isn’t just about capturing reality. It's about framing it. And the way we frame things has real social and historical consequences.