Drukpersen in de drukkerij van Christoffel Plantijn before 1886

Curator: This photograph, taken before 1886 by Joseph Maes, depicts the printing presses within Christoffel Plantin's printing shop. A true documentation of labor. Editor: My immediate impression is one of solemnity and history. The lighting casts the presses in an almost reverential glow, despite being objects of hard labor. It calls to mind the monumental cultural contribution of the printing press and spread of knowledge. Curator: Absolutely. And it's key to consider how the material production here – the construction of these presses, the labor involved in printing – created tangible cultural artifacts. The photograph itself captures a moment within that larger industrial process. What strikes me most is the stark functionalism. These aren't decorative objects; they're machines. Editor: Yet, aren’t they elevated? Notice the statue or bust on the wall—seemingly a symbolic guardian watching over the means of mass communication, and the stage on which the presses are situated which turns the mechanical object into something worthy of our respect. Also observe the natural light from windows, perhaps influencing Plantin's selection of that particular hall, connecting craft to light. It's hard to believe they’re merely functional! Curator: But think about how photography itself democratized image production. This image presents printing presses as something to be seen and studied and maybe even replicated by an increasingly large amount of photographers. It speaks to technological transformation within material culture itself. Editor: It reminds us of Gutenberg's innovation and its enduring significance, I find the iconography inescapable—the press as a vessel of enlightenment. It bridges the divide between manual craft and divine purpose. The symbolism imbues these presses with an almost spiritual significance, transcending their mechanical nature. Curator: And don’t let's overlook Maes’ skill, showing that technical capability as a photographer to create clear images in, likely, challenging conditions speaks volumes of this shift in what photography was being asked to capture, to record at this period. It wasn't necessarily a moment, it was equipment, process and progress. Editor: Precisely! This pre-1886 shot freezes an integral time for cultural dissemination. This is a very interesting and surprisingly profound photograph, if you spend time to examine its cultural objects as signifiers of what was being built on top of those old presses. Curator: Agreed. It underlines just how vital material processes are to creating enduring cultural symbols. The print lives!