Prins Hendrikkade and St.-Nicolaaskerk, seen from the Central Station 1895 - 1898

Curator: Let’s consider this gelatin silver print titled "Prins Hendrikkade and St.-Nicolaaskerk, seen from the Central Station," created between 1895 and 1898 by Gerrit Hendricus Heinen. It offers a panorama of Amsterdam. Editor: It’s striking how the city just *is*. Almost monotone, but in that pre-color way, the textures… cobblestone and water blending into sky. You get that real city-hustle vibe even without any literal people being prominent, y’know? Curator: Absolutely. What intrigues me is the gaze of this city, how we encounter it. Viewing Amsterdam from the Central Station positions us—especially considering the station's own colonial entanglements—as participants in circuits of power. The church rises over buildings while boats wait by the water, symbolizing the strength of both church and maritime trade in the formation of Dutch identity and capital. Editor: That makes me wonder how many stories were missed capturing this frame, beyond who it represents now... What's the history in that church—I’m picturing countless confessions, a web of unspoken interactions… it makes you think. Curator: Precisely! How spaces of power, like churches or central stations, operate to both cultivate community and impose moral order. It brings to the foreground themes related to nation-building and collective identity through the interplay of these symbolic structures. Editor: Well put. Gives me the shivers. Makes you think about then and now – this place feels frozen yet timeless and so, still living. Curator: Perhaps this gelatin silver print compels us to consider how the construction of Dutch identity is steeped within colonial dynamics and persists throughout various modes of representation. Editor: Thanks for framing that, really adds a whole new layer to experiencing it. Gives my day a splash of history.