Portret van drie onbekende mannen in uniform before 1905

This photograph of three unknown men in uniform was made by Paul Pretsch sometime in the mid-19th Century. It’s bound into a book, so we get to see the material support, the paper, as part of the presentation of the image. Looking at this black and white print, I can’t help thinking about Gerhard Richter’s blurred photos, and the way the photographic image can be destabilized through interventions of focus, light, and shadow. There’s a soft, almost dreamy quality to the photograph, especially around the edges of the figures, and in the gradient light behind them. This is a fascinating treatment, considering the rigidity we might associate with military dress and portraiture. The eye is drawn to the man in the middle with the very large hat, which takes up a substantial amount of the image. Overall, the piece suggests the way photography can become something other than a record, existing instead as a site of visual and material play.