Pension op de Burgberg, nabij Bad Harzburg 1868 - 1890

This stereoscopic photograph captures Hermann Selle’s "Pension op de Burgberg, nabij Bad Harzburg," presenting a seemingly tranquil scene of a German inn. However, the photograph is not without its symbols. Note how the trees frame the scene, their branches arching protectively over the inn. Trees, throughout history, have been potent symbols. In ancient cultures, they represented the connection between the earthly and the divine, life and death. Consider the World Tree in Norse mythology or the sacred groves of the Greeks; trees embody wisdom, strength, and continuity. Here, though, the trees, while providing shade and comfort, also hint at something darker. The inn, a place of rest and community, is almost guarded by these silent sentinels, a subtle tension between openness and enclosure, safety and the unknown. Just as a forest can both shelter and conceal, Selle's composition evokes a profound, almost subconscious awareness of nature's dual nature. This image evokes the cyclical progression of life, of shelter offered and mysteries concealed, resurfacing in our collective memory.