Brug tussen Dasht Arjin en Shiraz, Perzië Possibly 1925

This photograph of a bridge between Dasht Arjin and Shiraz, Persia, was captured by A.G.A. van Eelde at an unknown date with a camera and film. It’s so interesting to consider what it was like to be alive at that time, to consider the way the world was changing and how the people living then understood that change, if they understood it at all. Here, there's this weathered stone bridge, all arches and solid geometry, and I can imagine Van Eelde setting up his camera, composing the shot just so, trying to capture the essence of this structure amidst its landscape. I wonder what he thought about as he looked through the viewfinder. Did he worry about getting the light just right, or was he more concerned with capturing the bridge's rugged texture, each stone telling its own story of time and the elements? There are even a couple of cars casually crossing the bridge! I like to think that Van Eelde recognized how the past and the present coexist. He knew that artists are in an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time, inspiring one another’s creativity.