Havengezicht in Kopenhagen 1903

Geldolph Adriaan Kessler captured this small stereo card, "Havengezicht in Kopenhagen," using photography. Stereo cards like this one provided a window onto other cultures. In this double image, figures strolling along the harbor become archetypes of early 20th-century European life. The gendered expectations of the era are evident: men in authoritative roles, while women and children are subtly positioned in the background. Kessler, though part of the privileged class, tragically died in a concentration camp, reflecting the era's broader, darker undercurrents of political and social upheaval. The photograph’s sepia tones and composition evoke nostalgia, yet remind us of the complex narratives of identity, power, and vulnerability woven into the past.