Aenigmichnus multiformis before 1863

Editor: We’re looking at "Aenigmichnus multiformis," an albumen print, taken before 1863, so, quite a relic. It reminds me of an old, yellowed page from a forgotten textbook, but instead of text, we have these curious, swirling patterns...kind of mysterious and alluring. What secrets do you think it holds? Curator: Ah, yes. It’s like peering into a geological dreamscape, isn't it? That aged quality lends a beautiful fragility. These patterns, *Aenigmichnus multiformis*… it literally translates to "enigmatic many forms." Imagine, if you will, some ancient sea floor, the canvas for the dance of tiny organisms, etching their ephemeral lives into sediment. This image captures echoes of that ancient movement, a tangible slice of deep time. Makes you feel small, doesn't it? Editor: Absolutely! A slice of deep time – I love that. It does make you wonder about the creatures who made them, what their lives were like…were they even aware they were creating art, of sorts? Curator: Precisely! And that's where the true enigma lies. Were these deliberate actions, or the result of instinct and environment? The photographer, whoever they were, became a medium connecting us to an unknowable past. Did they consider that their photograph, itself, would become an ancient artifact? Editor: That's fascinating...the layers of time building on one another. So, it's not just the trace fossils, but the photograph itself that speaks to history. Curator: Precisely. It becomes a hall of mirrors, reflecting epochs both geological and technological. Art reflects life. The more things change, the more they remain the same. We keep returning to look at rocks. And wonder. What did you see, before, in this art? Editor: I mainly saw the abstract beauty, like a landscape painting, almost. Now, I also see the stories etched in the sediment and in the print itself... it makes me wonder what stories our current snapshots will tell in a hundred years. Curator: Exactly! A journey through time, beautifully witnessed. Thanks, I loved this art!