Gezicht op Stadt Wehlen aan de Elbe 1878

This is Johann Friedrich Stiehm’s stereoscopic photograph, "Gezicht op Stadt Wehlen aan de Elbe". It was produced in Berlin in 1878. The image is dominated by a monochromatic palette of soft browns and creams. This limited range of tones creates a serene, almost dreamlike quality. The composition is structured around a central river, snaking between hills. The town itself cascades down to the riverbank. This arrangement directs the viewer's gaze deep into the landscape. The stereoscopic effect adds depth, almost pulling us into the scene. This was typical of landscape photography at the time. Yet, Stiehm subverts this aesthetic with a disorienting tension between clarity and a near-sepia dream state. The photograph does not simply represent a place; it invites us to consider how photography, even in its seemingly objective mode, shapes our perception of reality. It acknowledges that seeing is not just believing, but interpreting.