In Springtime c. 1900

Curator: Hmm, quiet. I see a landscape hushed in early morning light, muted tones that feel both calming and expectant. Editor: That's a perfect word, quiet. We are looking at "In Springtime", a gelatin silver print by Henry Troth, likely taken around 1900. Troth worked quite a bit in plein air and was associated with the Pictorialist style in photography. Curator: Pictorialist... right. I suppose I'm responding to that almost painterly quality he’s achieved here. The way the mist softens every edge, flattens the perspective...it feels more like a memory of spring than a crisp representation of it. Makes you feel wistful, almost, even if you have never been there. Editor: That blurring was very much a deliberate aesthetic choice for Pictorialists. They were trying to elevate photography to the level of "high art" by using techniques like soft focus to mimic the look of Impressionist painting. So it is definitely more stylized than some landscape photos we might encounter from this era. Curator: So, was this all about art imitating art? I am only wondering why he didn't grab a brush, then. It must be some drive of finding a moment and being faithful to something, not copying or documenting something exactly as it appears, either. The moment. You could spend lifetimes, but that fleeting, early morning stillness... the mist kissing the bark of the tree... that is captured so poetically. Editor: I think there was also something quite radical about staking photography's claim as a unique medium. Troth and others were asserting that photography could do more than record. It could be manipulated, interpreted, charged with emotion—becoming an artistic expression. The Photo-Secession movement helped champion this idea by showcasing works just like this in gallery settings that legitimized it as fine art. Curator: And those dandelion seed heads! They become stars scattered across the meadow. It's a small detail, but it transforms the entire scene. I was going to say it turns it almost spiritual or fantastical but it only captures more vividly, something that is, so ephemeral but utterly essential. It would simply not be Spring without it. Editor: A perfect metaphor for what Troth was trying to achieve I imagine; to capture a passing moment, the atmosphere of a particular time, but elevate it into something more universally evocative, something artistic. It makes you think about the relationship between reality and perception in such a thought provoking manner. Curator: Well said! Troth captured it very eloquently, if I might add. Now, if you excuse me, I have got an appointment in a place quite as dewy as this. Editor: Wonderful! Enjoy your walk! As we leave "In Springtime" behind, perhaps we will each think a bit more about what "capturing the moment" means.