Hofplein en Gouverneursplein zuidzijde te Leeuwarden, met geheel rechts de Hoofdwacht c. 1868 - 1880

This photographic print of Hofplein en Gouverneursplein in Leeuwarden was made by P. Oosterhuis, likely in the mid-19th century. It’s a straightforward albumen print on paper, a process that had become quite standardized by this time. The clarity of the print would have depended on many factors, but the artist’s expertise in preparing the light-sensitive emulsion and controlling the exposure time are paramount. You can think of the photographer as a kind of chemist, carefully managing the properties of the materials. More than that, though, Oosterhuis was capturing a particular moment. In the immediate foreground, you see families and children occupying the public space. Just beyond them are armed soldiers, standing at attention outside the Hoofdwacht, or guardhouse. It is a pointed contrast, and brings into focus the way that civic life is maintained through a specific kind of labor and authority. This image shows how even an apparently simple photographic document can give us a very direct material connection to the past.