Fotoreproductie van twaalf foto's van de kathedraal van Ripon before 1880

Curator: This piece, predating 1880, is a photogravure reproduction entitled "Fotoreproductie van twaalf foto's van de kathedraal van Ripon", produced by Ch. Pumphrey & Co. It's an albumen print showcasing architectural and landscape elements. What's your initial impression? Editor: Immediately, I’m drawn into this little world within a book. It’s like peeking into a dream of ancient stones and light, a forgotten fairytale hidden in plain sight. A collage of little photo keepsakes from the place…a minster… a Ripon Minster! It smells of old things. Curator: Absolutely. Photography during this period was often employed to document and categorize architectural marvels, particularly those reflecting Medieval design. This print reflects that trend, showcasing the cultural obsession of the time with preservation of historical places as national symbols of identity, status, and belonging. Editor: I love how it layers the visual experience—first, there's the photograph *of* the book, then there's the reproduced photograph of the cathedral. There’s this sense of infinite receding layers, like gazing into a hall of mirrors. Makes me think about how we’re always interpreting representations, never quite grasping the ‘real’ thing. Do you agree? Curator: Indeed, that is the perfect intersectional way to think of it, since we may question the original work versus what it inspires to create further representation from historical viewpoints, where there were real class disparities on who had access to that Medieval cultural symbolism at the time, and even access to creating their own images. So, it brings that power imbalance question, like who even got to photograph this structure to begin with. Editor: Mmm! It does ask all sorts of great questions. Curator: Exactly. It's that blend of art history, the gaze, gender, race, power, politics, architecture that can create contemporary discussions. Well, what did you ultimately make of the experience, after a closer analysis of those intersectional layers? Editor: Well, like many good relics from the past, this piece ultimately asks me: What do we choose to remember, what do we let fade, and who gets to decide? Heavy questions in seemingly innocent books...