Carte photographique de la lune, planche XVII (Photographic Chart of the Moon, plate XVII) Possibly 1899 - 1914

Curator: Up next, we have a photogram by Charles Le Morvan, possibly made between 1899 and 1914. It's entitled "Carte photographique de la lune, planche XVII," or "Photographic Chart of the Moon, plate XVII." Editor: It has such a desolate, lonely feel to it, like gazing into an alien world that’s simultaneously beautiful and terrifying. The deep blacks against the almost parchment-like whites, they give me a sense of profound stillness. Curator: Yes, and the image gains that power through meticulous scientific intention. This isn't just a landscape, it’s a meticulously documented section of the lunar surface. Consider how the strong contrast accentuates every crater, ridge, and plain. Editor: And look at the shapes formed! Those overlapping circles, they remind me of geological maps of time, and almost mathematical poetry. The gradients—I think I could just lose myself in them. Curator: Precisely. The photogram as a medium is important too—it removes the intervention of the lens, making direct contact between object and image, almost a pure transfer of information. There’s geometry everywhere, nature performing feats that only geometry could express. Editor: Thinking about its date, too… this image feels both so distant, a look into an unpeopled infinity, and incredibly present, bringing the reality of that infinite loneliness down to a sheet of photographic paper. Curator: Right, because photography becomes almost like a time capsule and the material itself—paper, the photographic emulsion—it's all so ephemeral, adding another layer to its conceptual depth. Editor: It's strange how something so removed can feel like an immediate emotional experience—standing on an unfamiliar shore. Curator: Well, these kinds of scientific records have an intrinsic quality, capturing an elusive essence, in which data points shift, or even blend to form an immersive journey through sight and mind.