Twee foto's van vliegtuigen op de Vliegdag Schiphol, 14 juli 1923 Possibly 1923 - 1927

Curator: This gelatin silver print is called "Twee foto's van vliegtuigen op de Vliegdag Schiphol, 14 juli 1923," attributed to Hendrik Herman van den Berg. The title suggests a photographic record of an aviation day at Schiphol airport. Editor: It feels so grainy and immediate. The composition has this interesting stark contrast between the spectators in their formal attire and these early flying machines. The image is divided, really. Two separate events captured, framed together. Curator: The juxtaposition does create an interesting visual dialogue. Each frame capturing different aspects of the airshow event— the viewing crowd and a closer look at the biplane, each drawing unique points of focus and consideration. The gelatin silver print as a process would render a high degree of clarity in tonal gradations, crucial for journalistic applications. Editor: Absolutely. There's a distinct lack of glamour. I am curious as to what determined the final presentation; this combination within a singular matte, a diptych format. Did he create several of these? Was it his intention to elevate its historical weight and presence, like a formal historical painting might depict? Curator: That's precisely the crux of interpreting photographs from this period. Van den Berg documents a nascent cultural fascination, aviation’s arrival to the mainstream. Editor: Yes. This image shows not only aviation’s potential, but also how culture embraced its industrial implications, which offers new insight on subject matter, photographic materiality and method. Curator: Indeed, understanding photographic print’s materiality is essential to understanding their function as a mirror to evolving modern sentiments of technology and everyday experience. Editor: A very telling image that causes us to contemplate photographic meaning and impact within modernity. Curator: A potent convergence of documentation and nascent societal shift frozen in time, a time capsule of aviation and ambition, captured beautifully on silver gelatin.