Gezicht op de Adriaen Janskerk te IJsselmonde c. 1890 - 1920

This photograph of the Adriaen Janskerk in IJsselmonde was probably made near the end of the 19th century by an anonymous photographer working for the heritage organization, Monumentenzorg. We can understand this image as part of a cultural project of preservation. From the late 19th century onward, heritage organizations aimed to document and protect historical sites. Note that the photograph isolates the church building, presenting it as a cultural artifact worthy of preservation. This is a clear example of how the politics of imagery can shape the narrative around historical sites. What stories do we choose to tell? What aspects of the past do we preserve, and why? As historians, we can research Monumentenzorg to understand better the organization’s agenda and the social conditions that made that agenda possible. We might consider also the relationship between the church and the community. How has that relationship changed over time? What are the social implications of preserving only certain aspects of the past?