Ruiterstandbeeld van Arthur Wellesley in Londen c. 1850 - 1880

Editor: This is an albumen print, a photograph dating from between 1850 and 1880, entitled "Ruiterstandbeeld van Arthur Wellesley in Londen," or "Equestrian Statue of Arthur Wellesley in London," and it's part of the Rijksmuseum collection. The monochromatic sepia tones lend a really historical atmosphere to the grand architecture on display. What details jump out to you, beyond just the cityscape? Curator: Well, aside from the magnificent architectural subject matter, the two almost identical images create a stereoscopic effect! Back in its day, it would have offered viewers a kind of ‘3D’ experience of London’s cityscape. Consider what it must have felt like back then to experience a city from a photograph with depth. Almost like virtual reality in the Victorian era! Does that perspective shift how you consider the aesthetic choices, knowing that someone would look at it through special viewing device? Editor: Wow, that's fascinating! I hadn’t considered that viewing context. I guess it changes everything…like the artist isn’t just trying to capture the *likeness* but the *experience* of the location, almost. The deliberate framing feels heightened, like they are inviting you into the photograph to occupy a very particular spot. But, I can’t help wondering if this almost undermines its artistic integrity? Curator: Interesting! Undermines in what way? Maybe the artistry here lies less in individual expression, and more in creating an accessible encounter through technical and spatial mastery of this very new medium. Photography back then was still wrestling with being both an art and a science, like a philosopher-inventor figuring out where those two worlds collide! Editor: Hmm, I never thought about it that way. It is less about a unique vision and more about capturing a shared space to elicit a common understanding. Food for thought!