Drie gezichten op Hamburg, afgebeeld de Brooksbrücke, een bestuursgebouw en de Deichstrassenfleth 1894

Curator: Looking at this print from 1894, we see Wilhelm Dreesen's "Drie gezichten op Hamburg, afgebeeld de Brooksbrücke, een bestuursgebouw en de Deichstrassenfleth"—three views of Hamburg. Editor: The sepia tones give it such a wistful, old-world feel. You can almost smell the coal smoke and damp stone! It’s striking how different the composition of each view is, stacked vertically on the page. Curator: Indeed. These cityscapes reflect Hamburg's rising mercantile power at the turn of the century, as Dreesen captured the bridges and canals bustling with activity, visually displaying civic pride and infrastructural innovation. Editor: And I’m drawn to the ways the buildings are rendered, so much care given to the materiality of the stone and brick. You can see the labor in every brick, and feel the presence of the dockworkers and merchants who relied on these canals. Curator: Yes, and that perspective is precisely what gives the work its significance. The architecture is representative of Hamburg’s burgeoning capitalist ambitions during this period; we see that imposing structure which reminds one of the medieval trading dominance that Hamburg sought to recapture. Editor: Looking closer, you can almost see the process of its creation. Each layer meticulously added to construct an image, akin to how the city was slowly assembled brick by brick through hard labour and wealth accumulation. The printing process, like Hamburg's economic activities, dependent on the industrial age. Curator: Precisely, a narrative etched not just in stone and water, but in paper and ink too! Thank you for bringing your perceptive, production-oriented lens, helping us all to view these cityscapes anew. Editor: And thank you. It is helpful to revisit these images knowing how pivotal places such as this become key centers of global commerce and industry.