Huis van de machinist 1900 - 1922

Robert Julius Boers made this stereograph, "Huis van de machinist," sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. It's a sepia print, which gives it a dreamy, old-timey feel. The sepia tone kind of flattens everything, but that’s part of the charm, right? What grabs me is how the trees and buildings are layered, creating depth. There's a real tension between the dark foreground and the hazy background. I love how the light peeks through the leaves, it's like little secrets hiding in plain sight. Look at the way the texture of the trees contrasts with the flat surface of the building. It's like a dance between chaos and order, and it’s really beautifully observed. It makes me think of Carleton Watkins, another photographer who captured landscapes with such care, each of them, in their way, trying to pin down the wildness of the world. There’s so much going on! Art is just one big, ongoing conversation.