Gezicht op de Torre del Oro te Sevilla c. 1857 - 1858

Editor: This albumen print, taken around 1857-58 by Alexis Gaudin, captures the Torre del Oro in Seville. There's something wonderfully stark about it, almost dreamlike, especially with that duplication suggesting a kind of vision. It really speaks to the texture and atmosphere of the city. What catches your eye when you look at it? Curator: It whisks me away, frankly! Look at that sky—it’s the kind of light that seems to murmur secrets. And isn't it curious, this ghostly double image? Early photography often held this alchemical quality. Think of it: Gaudin wasn't just documenting, he was seemingly wrestling with the very fabric of time and place! What story does this tower whisper to you? Editor: I suppose it makes me wonder about the people who saw this when it was brand new, not long after photography was invented. It's realism, but a slightly spooky realism. Curator: Precisely! They'd be struck dumb by the tower appearing before their eyes. In my own mind, photography is akin to capturing moonlight, fixing the intangible onto something you can touch. It's magic dressed as science. Do you get the feeling that photography allows this artist to be painterly, or even architectural? Editor: Hmm, yes, it's as if the tower itself is the artist here. I'm going to have to rethink my relationship with photography. It's less objective than I gave it credit for. Curator: Good. Next time you’re stuck, recall how the ordinary can become extraordinary, just by shifting our gaze. It helps when contemplating albumen prints.