Gezicht op Edinburgh vanaf Calton Hill 1864 - 1873

Curator: My initial reaction is that it's hauntingly beautiful. The mist, the stone buildings... it's like looking at a dream. Editor: That's a perfect summary of Edinburgh really, though! We’re looking at an albumen print by Ferrier Père-Fils et Soulier titled 'Gezicht op Edinburgh vanaf Calton Hill' or 'View of Edinburgh from Calton Hill'. It’s from between 1864 and 1873. I'm especially fascinated by this work given the meticulous processes involved. Curator: Meticulous is one word for it. Look at the almost palpable texture of the stone! The image dances on the edge of ethereal, especially how the distant features dissolve into the atmosphere. I almost want to wrap myself up in the history and stories emanating from the image! Editor: Well, the albumen process itself would have been time consuming with all the labor involved in preparing the glass plate negatives with egg whites to then sensitize it. This would allow the camera obscura to project light through the lens exposing the photo on to the plate, creating a visible image once developed. But all that meticulous work enabled detailed reproduction. Curator: The clarity amidst the gloom is striking. Do you think the intention was simply documentary, or was there a desire to romanticize the city? It’s definitely worked on me. Editor: The photographers probably aimed for something between topographic documentation and the then-popular picturesque aesthetic. Making stereoscopic photographs involved both science and craft, targeting a rising middle-class market eager to acquire such collectible representations of travel and place. Curator: So, essentially Victorian postcards of the upper class. That commercial element brings it back down to earth in a slightly wonderful way. It speaks of industry, distribution and popular desires, really, so much beyond the mere stones and mist that make me feel a certain type of way. Editor: Absolutely, we're not just looking at the play of light and shadow. We’re looking at commerce, labor and leisure embedded in each image, revealing far more about that period and those people than we may first assume. Curator: I see your point. Now I feel like a window cleaner who's got the key to another level! This is what makes art so enduring – multiple viewpoints unveiling stories within stories, captured in a moment, and expanded into lifetimes. Editor: I'm glad to shed a little more light. It makes you appreciate how much our material culture still informs our desires.