Josefine Moos-Levi, Hermann Moos, Else Wachenheimer-Moos en vier onbekende mensen, zittend op rotsen in een woestijnachtig rotslandschap 1911 - 1928

Curator: Ah, this gelatin-silver print! Look at them, all perched on that rugged landscape. It captures Josefine Moos-Levi, Hermann Moos, Else Wachenheimer-Moos and four other, unnamed, people. The picture was likely taken sometime between 1911 and 1928. Editor: Immediately I'm struck by how formal it feels, yet set against this incredibly stark backdrop. The tones, of course, given the printing process, are quite muted, which amplifies the feeling of solemnity. Do you think they were really out there in that desolate scene? Curator: I think that they did go all the way, all dressed up and ready for the camera, the whole party of them! Think of the experience; lugging the equipment and glass plates to the top of those boulders; creating the photograph, bathed in golden sunlight and crisp, thin air. Remarkable! There is certainly evidence to consider it staged...but I like the image all the more, as a romantic scene, if it wasn't staged. Editor: I’m curious about the clothes; I am curious if all the material to create them was really worth it; How heavy the hats are... look at the size of it! It definitely says something about that moment's production and consumption. Curator: Those hats *are* glorious. Like small ships perched on their heads, ready to set sail for adventure. They bring an elegance that defies the rough terrain. A very poignant elegance...they appear to be facing into some form of unspeakable change on their rocky pedestal. I like the hats' weight; and those sturdy sensible shoes under long skirts. These clothes were for traveling, as they have indeed traveled with their humans...what will these people face out there beyond the hills? I am suddenly quite sad, remembering them. Editor: I agree; it feels incredibly poignant given the historical context. The gelatin-silver process, common then, but requiring specific materials, darkroom practice, a precise skill set...It creates a time capsule of a specific class, culture, and moment, now forever captured and gone. Curator: And now *we* are able to appreciate them. A fascinating and poignant meditation, I find. Editor: Absolutely, a fascinating insight into a world gone by, and the labor that underpinned it.