Gezicht op het kasteel van Roemelië aan de Bosporus in Istanbul, Turkije before 1899

Editor: This albumen print from before 1899 offers a "Gezicht op het kasteel van Roemelië aan de Bosporus in Istanbul, Turkije"– or, a view of the Roemelië castle. I’m immediately drawn to how the image is embedded in what appears to be a personal journal. What stands out to you in this piece? Curator: I notice immediately how the materiality of the albumen print—the specific chemical process used—lends a unique aesthetic. It isn’t simply the depicted scenery that intrigues, but also how that scenery was captured and reproduced using the technologies and labor practices of its time. Look closely. Do you notice how the print's inherent instability likely influenced its preservation within the album itself, influencing the labor of those who were to preserve it. Editor: That's fascinating! I hadn't considered the preservation aspect. So, the way it was made and cared for becomes part of its story? Curator: Exactly! The paper, the ink, the photographic chemicals: they all speak to the industrial processes and trade routes that connected Europe and the Ottoman Empire. The thin font, that delicate typography; were these choices also embedded in the context and intent of those who commissioned, created, used or consumed it? Editor: It does make you wonder about who created this album and for what purpose. Maybe this print was part of a larger narrative crafted for a specific audience? Curator: Precisely! It compels us to reconsider boundaries – not just between East and West, but also between artistic intent and industrial execution. We may also think of it from the view of who might not have had the ability to take a view such as this, who's work and or service made it possible to see, display or obtain it. Editor: I never considered it that way. Focusing on the material processes gives such a different understanding. I'll definitely be looking at art with a new perspective from now on.