Fotoreproductie van een tekening van een kudde olifanten before 1880

Curator: Ah, let's take a closer look at this photographic reproduction, “Fotoreproductie van een tekening van een kudde olifanten." It translates to "Photographic reproduction of a drawing of a herd of elephants" and was created by Nicholas & Co before 1880. What do you think? Editor: My initial thought is: "Where are they going?" There's a palpable sense of momentum, isn't there? All those elephants descending what appears to be a steep, perhaps treacherous, slope. The greyscale sketch-like quality really heightens that precarious feeling, and a strong desire to help them, and hope they will be fine. Curator: I'm struck by the composition. Notice how the herd is clustered together, almost like a single, unified form, against the wildness of the terrain. Perhaps they feel safer traveling close together on the steep slope. I suspect this sketch could evoke an archetypal journey. Editor: A collective psyche? That's interesting. I am sure that seeing these beasts huddling would have instilled very contrasting feelings of helplessness to locals and awe to travelers, and perhaps wonder as to where they were headed. Is there a suggestion of fragility amongst the sheer size and wildness? Curator: I agree. This print comes from an era steeped in exploration, but it might just show the animals doing everyday normal, herd animal things, rather than existing in an exciting faraway land. It shows the elephant both as individuals and as one. In a way, the composition humanizes the herd through its sensitivity and dynamism, yet at the same time reminding us of a certain primal vulnerability and the dangers that wild creatures face from humans. Editor: It's incredible how an image from so long ago can still provoke such immediate emotion. This photograph feels far more personal, raw, and visceral because it does not portray grand heroic deeds or portray nature as an entity there for us to dominate. Curator: The elephants also strike me as not knowing what's coming; they move on with hope and determination. These symbols evoke a timeless image and feeling that reminds us of resilience and fortitude on any of life's wild landscapes.