Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlijn 1868 - 1870

Editor: Here we have Johann Friedrich Stiehm's "Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin," captured as an albumen print sometime between 1868 and 1870. There's almost something ghostly about the image—it’s a stark cityscape, incredibly still. What captures your attention when you look at it? Curator: I’m struck by the physical construction of this image. Look at the materiality: the albumen print process itself, the chemicals used, the specific paper chosen. These weren't neutral decisions. The rise of photography coincided with rapid industrialization. Stiehm here, producing stereoscopic views for mass consumption, participates directly in that system of production and distribution. Editor: So, it’s not just about capturing a moment in Berlin, but about the making and selling of the image? Curator: Exactly! Consider the labor involved. From the harvesting of materials to the darkroom processes to the distribution of prints. And think about the *audience* for these images: middle-class consumers eager for glimpses of urban progress and expansion. How did the means of production democratize art and its consumption, but also industrialize it? Editor: It's like, the photograph itself is a product of the changing city it depicts. I had been focused on the railway and architecture depicted. Curator: The "progress" in that architectural form wouldn’t have existed without the photographic method to archive its being. That intersection shows the commodification of culture in that time. Editor: That gives me a lot to think about - I'd never thought of it that way, but it definitely impacts my impression of it. Curator: It's crucial to always remember that art never exists in a vacuum. To question it always consider production.