Gezicht op de Elbgrund in het Reuzengebergte 1891

Curator: This is an albumen print titled "Gezicht op de Elbgrund in het Reuzengebergte" created in 1891 by E. Mertens & Cie. It presents a stark landscape. Editor: It’s arresting; the composition is so off-kilter. It has a sort of bleak majesty. The textures almost look like fabric, like corduroy layered upon each other in shades of gray. It draws the eye relentlessly upward and to the right. Curator: Given it's a commercial photography studio, one can consider this within the burgeoning tourism industry of the late 19th century. How does the mass production of such images reshape our engagement with the landscape? Are these simply documentary records or idealized visions crafted for consumption? Editor: I’m curious about the process, really. Look at the level of detail—the sheer craft involved in capturing something like this with early photographic materials! It speaks volumes about the labor and skill needed at the time, certainly setting this apart from today's point-and-shoot culture. Curator: Indeed. And it’s fascinating to consider the photograph as an object too, being bought and displayed in parlors of the emerging middle classes and serving to represent experiences, class aspirations, the wider dissemination of cultural memory. Editor: Consider too, the selection of viewpoint. Why depict such a rugged, untamed landscape? I’m thinking about the Romantics' fascination with the sublime, the terrifying beauty of nature – the industrial impact in the lowlands pushed viewers into the mountain for inspiration and this aestheticization is the core element. Curator: And let us not ignore the power dynamics embedded here. This ‘view’ is presented and framed for us. This act, the distribution network... How many of these images were circulated, reproduced in publications, shaping perceptions of place far beyond the reach of the mountains themselves? The materiality really allows its dissemination. Editor: Absolutely. It's a small window into the ways in which industrial techniques influence not only travel and consumption habits, but also our visual landscape and the very experience of “seeing.” The physical item reminds you of that history! Curator: A poignant glimpse into the machinery behind place-making. Editor: A reminder of the tangible link between materials and the landscapes they depict.