Deur van Veerkade 15 te Den Haag 1903

Editor: This photograph, "Deur van Veerkade 15 te Den Haag," from 1903, showcases a very ornate doorway. It almost feels like a stage set. What do you see when you look at it? Curator: I see labor. Think of the carpentry involved, the skill of the artisans. This wasn’t just a doorway; it was a statement of wealth and power, rendered in expensive materials – probably imported wood and expertly crafted glass. How does that craftsmanship connect to its social context for you? Editor: Well, it makes me think about who had access to such craftsmanship. Surely it was someone of status and capital commissioning it. But also who was laboring for it? It points out the economic structures of that time. Curator: Precisely. This isn't just aesthetic ornamentation; it's a visual manifestation of social hierarchy, commodified luxury. Each detail underscores power. Where do you think those materials might have originated? How might their journey reflect the politics of the era? Editor: Maybe the wood was shipped from the colonies? If so, this door embodies colonialism through materiality, both a marker of beauty and exploitation. Curator: Exactly! This doorway then becomes a physical archive of complex material networks and societal stratifications of the time. It gives you a whole new way to look at these materials, doesn’t it? Editor: It definitely does! It’s more than just an entrance; it is a sum of all the hands and materials that contributed to its being. Thank you. Curator: My pleasure.