Spui in Den Haag 1896 - 1905

Curator: There's a wistful quality to this gelatin-silver print. It’s called "Spui in Den Haag," and it's believed to have been produced somewhere between 1896 and 1905. What grabs you first? Editor: It feels utterly still. Like the whole world is holding its breath. The tones are so soft, almost sepia, and there’s this sense of watching a world completely different from ours now. Is it just me or does it make you wanna’ hop in that little boat and float away? Curator: Indeed. Thinking about gelatin-silver prints, we need to remember how revolutionary this technology was for its time. Photography democratized image-making, bringing scenes from around the world to a wider public through mass production of images on paper. Editor: Democratizing art! It’s amazing to consider how radically photography shifted who could engage with visual representation. Plus, those gelatin-silver prints aged gracefully, becoming nostalgic in themselves. I wonder about the anonymous hand behind this specific print, what their story was, their hopes. Curator: That leads into thinking about labor of printing itself, who was producing these prints in which factory, which material supplier allowed the proliferation of such practices. Editor: It’s incredible! From the street vendor trying to make a living in frame to the technician working the darkroom, to even someone like us, viewing it today...We all become part of its story, like ripples from that little boat disturbing the still water. This small photograph is proof that we all carry and share a long history. Curator: Yes, let's not forget the ecological ramifications of printing, paper production, supply and demand for materials needed for image making at this time. I guess that concludes my materialist's point of view. Editor: Nicely put, my friend! And thank you. This tiny portal into the past has nudged my soul, making me rethink my connection to time, history, and all those countless unknown storytellers, those that are also viewers.