Isabel Wachenheimer gezeten op een bankje met haar rechterhand op haar knie, voor ontbladerde bomen 1956 - 1973

Editor: Here we have an untitled gelatin silver print, dated sometime between 1956 and 1973, depicting Isabel Wachenheimer seated on a bench in a wooded area. There's a real intimacy in this image; a simple, almost casual portrait. How do you read this photograph? Curator: For me, this image speaks to the labour of leisure and the production of photographic memory. Think about it: the gelatin silver print process itself, requiring skilled hands and specific materials – chemicals, paper, a camera. The act of posing, the staging of this "candid" moment… these are all forms of work. Who produced the bench? Who maintained the forest, even? This isn’t just about capturing a likeness; it's about the systems and industries that allow this moment to be recorded and disseminated. What kind of labour do you see here? Editor: That’s a fascinating take! I hadn't considered the bench as anything beyond a prop, but framing it as part of the broader production really reframes my thinking. There's the labour of sitting still, of performance as well, right? Posing, trying to look natural when one is hyper-aware. Curator: Exactly. And think about the labor involved after the picture is taken, developing, printing, distributing…Each step necessitates various contributions that extend beyond Wachenheimer's likeness, reflecting complex historical-economic structures related to photography in post-war Europe. Editor: So it's about reading beyond the surface image to unpack these layers of making. I'm realizing that what felt "simple" is actually a point where numerous production lines intersect. Curator: Precisely. This photograph shows us that materials aren’t neutral. By focusing on what this picture *is*, materially and historically, we understand the bigger world around it. Editor: Thanks! I’ll never look at casual portraiture the same way again!