Gezicht op een Allee te Wenen c. 1870 - 1880

Oscar Krämer captured this photograph of an avenue in Vienna, using a technique that would have been seen as cutting edge for its time. Consider Vienna in the mid-19th century. It was a city undergoing rapid transformation, reflecting the social hierarchies of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The grand boulevards were not just pathways but statements of power, designed to impress upon its citizens the grandeur and might of the ruling elite. Krämer's lens seems to focus on the order and structure of this urban space, yet, we might also ask ourselves, whose Vienna is being represented here? The absence of the working class or marginalized communities raises questions about visibility and representation. Who is allowed to occupy and be seen in these spaces? The emotional distance in the photograph might reflect the societal distance between the privileged and the rest. This photograph then, becomes a silent witness to the complex power dynamics embedded in the urban landscape, reflecting the selective gaze of its time.