Prinsessen 1940

Curator: Look closely at "Prinsessen," an album page of gelatin-silver prints created in 1940. Editor: Well, my first impression is tenderness, countered by the formal distance inherent in photography. These images document childhood moments, yet they’re pinned like specimens. I’m intrigued by the album itself as an artifact, a sort of proto-social media of the past. Curator: Indeed, the act of compiling these images, selecting and arranging them, tells a story of its own. Notice how each picture offers a glimpse into the early life of perhaps royal children? What do these glimpses say, or perhaps, attempt to convey? Editor: What strikes me are the tangible qualities – the albumen prints themselves. They are meticulously arranged on the page, evoking notions of family ritual and preservation in a medium available to many, regardless of high-art aspirations. And how that silver interacts with light and the slow process of degradation, like skin with wrinkles. Time and process made visible. Curator: Very true, time becomes a co-creator. Thinking about that historical context, created in the midst of world conflict, and remembering these images of innocence – what purpose did this kind of memory-making serve in the face of upheaval and uncertainty? Did it offer comfort, reassurance? Or was it simply a practice of its era? Editor: I imagine the meticulous making and arranging – perhaps with the right tools like precise scissors, proper glues or tacks – was a crucial part of these familial narratives, to make sure the precious content does not decay and will remain whole. How this contrasts against a chaotic global climate speaks of domestic resilience. The tangible resists disappearance, while so much else crumbles. Curator: Yes, a private act of defiance, a counter-narrative woven within broader histories. What begins as straightforward photographs evolve into poignant documents layered with meaning. The images remind us to be attentive to memory's construction, of the choices behind their collection, arrangement, and even preservation. Editor: It does feel significant now that we've explored this album, knowing it embodies time and love's endurance through the simplest of methods, transforming even decay into something beautiful.