Portaal van de Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk in Neurenberg, Duitsland 1863 - 1868

Editor: This photographic print, taken sometime between 1863 and 1868 by Johann Friedrich Stiehm, captures the portal of the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk in Nuremberg. The architectural details are incredibly intricate! It's almost overwhelming. What statements do you think Stiehm was trying to make with this portrayal? Curator: I find this image particularly compelling. Stiehm was working at a pivotal moment in history, not just for photography, but for understanding the relationship between power, religion, and national identity in Germany. The detailed capture of Gothic architecture can be interpreted as an attempt to solidify a national identity rooted in a romanticized medieval past. Editor: Romanticized? How so? Curator: Well, think about it: Gothic architecture was experiencing a revival during this period. Placing emphasis on its grandeur might function to obscure the socio-political realities and disparities of 19th-century life. It encouraged a look backward, glossing over existing inequities in order to suggest an uncomplicated origin. Does the emphasis on height and detail signify something about social class or labor to you? Editor: I see what you mean. By emphasizing the aesthetics, maybe Stiehm downplays the labor and resources required to build such a structure. It also seems to exclude the experiences of everyday people, focusing instead on the elite religious structure. Curator: Precisely! Photography, particularly in its early stages, was so often deployed to support specific narratives of power and privilege. Considering it from that viewpoint opens up a range of critical questions about whose stories get told and how. Editor: This makes me think about how the gaze of the photographer and the perspective they choose shapes our understanding. I had focused solely on the architectural beauty before, not considering these layers of meaning. Curator: That's the exciting thing about engaging with art; it compels us to think critically not only about the artwork itself but also about our own positionality and assumptions. Editor: Definitely! I’ll never look at historical photos the same way again.