Gezicht op Market Place in Manchester met zicht op de toren van de Royal Exchange before 1878

Alfred Brothers captured this photograph of the Market Place in Manchester, showcasing the tower of the Royal Exchange. The tower is a prominent symbol in this landscape, piercing the sky and acting as a visual anchor amidst the bustling marketplace. Towers, historically and psychologically, represent more than mere architecture. They are symbols of power, aspiration, and connection between the earthly and divine realms. Think of the Tower of Babel, a monument to human ambition, or the countless church steeples striving towards the heavens. This reaching towards the sky taps into humanity's deep-seated desire for transcendence. This image resonates with a collective memory of human aspiration. It reminds us that symbols persist, evolve, and resurface, connecting us to past hopes and present realities. The tower in this photograph does not merely stand; it speaks to our shared human narrative, constantly being rewritten across time.