Ruïnes van slot Brömserburg in Rüdesheim am Rhein, Duitsland 1860 - 1870

This is a stereo photograph of the ruins of Brömserburg Castle in Rüdesheim am Rhein, Germany, made by Hippolyte Jouvin. Jouvin, who was born in 1825, was one of many 19th century photographers drawn to the Rhineland. As industrialization spread across Europe, a nostalgic longing for the pre-industrial past and a romanticized vision of nature fueled tourism and the creation of photographs like this. Here, Jouvin uses the then-popular stereoscopic format to capture the picturesque ruins. But beyond the surface appeal, what does it mean to document and preserve a ruin? It speaks to a relationship with the past, especially in a time of rapid change, where the act of memorializing becomes charged with cultural and historical weight. Jouvin's image invites us to consider how we engage with the past, and the stories we choose to preserve. The photograph's stillness might evoke a melancholic reflection on time, memory, and the marks left on the landscape by human history.