Gendarmenmarkt in Berlijn met de Französischer Dom en het Konzerthaus Berlin 1868 - 1870

Curator: Just look at that light! This photographic print, probably from between 1868 and 1870, shows Berlin's Gendarmenmarkt with the Französischer Dom and Konzerthaus. Johann Friedrich Stiehm captured this bustling square, and it’s like stepping back in time. What's your initial impression? Editor: Stately, serene... almost dreamlike. The sepia tones and soft focus lend it an air of distant memory, like glimpsing a world just out of reach. Those classical buildings loom large, dominating the scene, speaking of order and permanence. Curator: Absolutely! And it's not just aesthetic. The choice of Neoclassicism really reinforces these ideas. Can you elaborate on what this style represents and how it works to shape our understanding? Editor: Neoclassicism emerged as a conscious revival of classical antiquity, drawing inspiration from the art and culture of ancient Greece and Rome. The emphasis on order, reason, and balance sought to instill civic virtue and moral authority, but also of the human mind prevailing over nature. That's embodied here in the formal layout of the square, the symmetrical façades, and the restrained ornamentation—idealized stability amid urban life. Curator: Exactly, that’s also so fascinating about this print, since photography by definition implies the actual, the authentic moment! Even more specifically here where the "reality" is captured in a stereo card, offering depth and a sense of being there in person! In any case, it stands in a huge tension to all the principles of classicism and this sense of order and authority, which is further complicated by this horse drawn carriage! I almost imagine what the lives and relationships might have been between these buildings! Editor: It's curious how the carriage becomes the single moving form in what otherwise is so monumentally still. Even that can imply wealth, transit, a subtle commentary on progress in the city, but there is a psychological weight, the pull toward change and modernity. It's easy to forget photography was a novel tool back then. And it still surprises me how, from our vantage, how the same image echoes across history and collective memory. Curator: Well said! In my mind, this print is less about capturing the facts and more about building our own memories about these historical figures... What can these buildings really whisper us today? Thank you so much! Editor: An unexpectedly gentle reflection, thanks!