Tweede binnenplaats van de Wartburg in Eisenach c. 1870 - 1890

Curator: Let's turn our attention to this gelatin-silver print, taken sometime between 1870 and 1890, which is titled “Tweede binnenplaats van de Wartburg in Eisenach.” It’s by Georg Jagemann. Editor: It immediately evokes a sense of hushed grandeur. The stonework, the expansive courtyard—there’s a palpable sense of history embedded in its texture. But the lack of vibrant color also creates a certain stillness. Curator: Precisely. The image documents the second courtyard of Wartburg Castle, a location imbued with immense historical significance. Martin Luther, a central figure of the Reformation, sought refuge here in the early 16th century. Editor: So the photo, created centuries later, isn’t just about architecture. It’s engaging with questions about power, religious upheaval, and how physical space becomes associated with critical moments in socio-political change. Luther's translation of the New Testament while in hiding here holds intense weight for understanding the development of protestantism in Germany, doesn’t it? Curator: Absolutely. Think about the visual language Jagemann employs. He uses a fairly neutral perspective. It invites the viewer to become a participant in this space. The figures are minute in scale compared to the architecture. Editor: They are almost consumed by the weight of their historical surroundings. Do you think the framing also alludes to power dynamics? Is the viewer positioned almost as a passive observer? Curator: Perhaps, or maybe as a pilgrim encountering a revered site. And that's a tension that carries throughout the image, the contrast between individual agency and historical determinism. How are these visitors within the frame related to these powerful, often exclusionary narratives, about German identity and reformation? Editor: The somber tone makes it resonate more deeply. What’s depicted here represents specific events in time but suggests so much about history’s continued impacts on our contemporary moment, the ways that past actions are forever unfolding into our own era. Curator: It makes you consider the ever-evolving dialogue between the physical legacies of powerful spaces and those who traverse them. Thank you for giving me some great things to think about today. Editor: Thank you for such illuminating insights! I think I will leave here to continue considering Wartburg castle and its lasting echoes in the historical register.