Expositie van maritieme objecten uit Hamburg tijdens de wereldtentoonstelling te Antwerpen 1894

Editor: Here we have "Exposition of maritime objects from Hamburg at the Antwerp World Fair," a photogravure print from 1894 by Th. Lantin. It feels incredibly staged and ornate to me, but also kind of… fascinating? What’s your take on this piece? Curator: It’s all about labor and display, isn’t it? Look at the painstaking effort that went into creating these miniature maritime objects. It speaks volumes about Hamburg's industrial and mercantile power that they were chosen to be showcased in this exhibition. Consider, too, the labor that went into building the stands and transporting the works of art, versus its ultimate purpose of celebrating trade. Does the photograph offer a sort of meta-commentary on the social status granted to different types of work? Editor: I hadn't considered the implications of celebrating maritime power! I was too focused on the objects themselves. The objects stand for a world of workers who are not seen, of course. Curator: Exactly. And how does the mode of photographic reproduction itself – a photogravure print – play into this? Think of it as an early form of mass communication and how that impacted perception of craft. Editor: Right, that makes the photograph a trade item as well. Curator: Precisely. The image itself participates in the very trade that the exhibition celebrates! I’d never really considered the means by which such exhibitions became common knowledge. Editor: Me neither! Now I am more aware of photography's role in that system, thank you.