Kathedraal van Siena, Italië c. 1855 - 1865

Editor: This striking image, captured by Bisson Frères sometime between 1855 and 1865, presents the Siena Cathedral in Italy through the lens of early photography. The print, mounted on card, has a sort of sepia tone that lends a feeling of timelessness. With its intricate architectural details and somewhat softened edges, I wonder: what strikes you most profoundly when you view this photograph? Curator: It's funny you say softened, because what truly leaps out at me is the sheer ambition embedded in the sharpness. Early photography was such a demanding art! Here we have this magnificent building, not just documented, but almost...breathed onto the print. Notice how the light plays with the horizontal stripes; it’s like the building itself is striped with time. I can almost feel the heat radiating off those ancient stones. Do you get a sense of the cathedral's imposing presence, despite the diminutive figures implied by the scale? Editor: I do! I can almost hear the echoes within the cathedral's walls just by looking at it. Is it that contrast, perhaps, between the monumental subject and the relatively new, delicate photographic medium that makes it so compelling? Curator: Exactly! There’s this dance between realism and something almost dreamlike, don’t you think? It is as if Bisson Frères sought not just to capture the building, but its essence – its spirit. You know, photography at that time had to be an act of pure, dare I say it, faith. It would require skill, of course, but belief that an image can persist over time would be what makes one persevere! It would almost be the only choice in image making back then. What else could they rely on?! Editor: That's fascinating. It really puts the work in a different perspective. Thinking about what the photograph could preserve rather than simply represent! I am grateful for learning about this and everything it represents in context to the photographer, image, and us, now! Curator: And I, as always, am reminded that great art beckons us to contemplate, dream, and, most importantly, feel deeply, long after its creation. A timeless marvel, wouldn't you say?