Gezicht op de Prinsengracht met de Westertoren c. 1860 - 1900

Editor: So this is "Gezicht op de Prinsengracht met de Westertoren," or "View of the Prinsengracht with the Westertoren," by Andries Jager, dating from around 1860 to 1900. It’s a photograph, and it really captures this sense of quiet industry in Amsterdam. What are your thoughts on it? Curator: I find this photograph compelling because it speaks volumes about the labor inherent in constructing and maintaining the cityscape. Look closely at the texture of the buildings – can you imagine the effort required to quarry and transport the stones, to lay each brick? And then consider the boats, likely essential for trade and the movement of materials throughout the city. Editor: That's a great point. I hadn’t really considered the boats in that light; I was mostly seeing them as a picturesque detail. So you’re seeing the image as a record of production? Curator: Precisely. This photograph also makes us question the consumption practices associated with these materials. Who profited from this labor, and where did the raw resources originate? Consider the social hierarchy reflected in the architecture itself; what do the variations in the facades tell us about the lives and status of their inhabitants? Editor: That shifts my perspective. I tend to focus on the overall aesthetic and the historical moment, but I see what you mean about considering the labour. Curator: It invites us to dismantle this "picturesque" image and consider its constituent parts and processes, the people, places and materials involved. What does this awareness prompt you to think about differently, regarding landscape photography in general? Editor: Well, it definitely makes me think more critically about the stories behind the image, not just the surface. I guess I’ll start looking at everything in terms of process and production now!