Tussenstop langs de weg tijdens een fiets annex rijtuig rit 1904

This stereograph, ‘Tussenstop langs de weg tijdens een fiets annex rijtuig rit,’ was made by Geldolph Adriaan Kessler. The image, presented in duplicate, seeks to create an illusion of depth. Here, the architecture—a building with symmetrical windows—anchors the composition, dividing the space into distinct planes. The figures, both cyclists and those arriving by carriage, are arranged in a frieze-like manner, their forms adding a sense of movement to an otherwise still scene. Kessler employs a visual strategy that balances the flat, graphic quality of the print with the stereoscopic effect. The image invites us to consider the interplay between reality and representation and explores how technology mediates our perception of space and form. Ultimately, it’s the tension between the two-dimensional surface and the illusion of three-dimensionality that defines this work, prompting us to question the nature of photographic truth.