Gezicht op het Van Hogendorpsplein met het Schielandshuis en het standbeeld van Gijsbert Karel graaf van Hogendorp in Rotterdam 1867 - 1890

Editor: This photograph, captured sometime between 1867 and 1890, presents the Van Hogendorpsplein in Rotterdam, complete with the Schielandshuis and the statue of Gijsbert Karel graaf van Hogendorp. The sepia tones lend a timeless quality; it almost feels like stepping back in time. What jumps out to you? Curator: The beauty in these old prints lies, for me, not just in what they depict, but what they whisper about history. Notice how the bustling life of the city square seems frozen, blurred figures hinting at movement, yet everything feels so still. It's a world caught mid-breath. Does the architecture evoke any particular feeling? Editor: I feel a sense of order and grandeur, the building is clearly very important and imposing but the lack of people also creates an emptiness. Curator: Precisely. It speaks to the civic pride of the era, the desire to create lasting monuments. But there’s also that subtle tension between the planned, idealized vision and the unpredictable messiness of life itself. Editor: How do you mean? Curator: Well, the statue is positioned so formally but then you have this everyday interaction with the square. It creates almost a surreal and melancholic snapshot of life that I can't quite put my finger on. And what do you make of it being in print form rather than just the standard photo? Editor: Hmm. I hadn't thought about that. That element adds something… tangible? Like, a print makes it feel more… artisanal. I hadn't appreciated how that added layer influences my perception. Thanks! Curator: It's a portal into someone else's past but it leaves you pondering your own present too. Food for thought!