Jaffa-poort te Jeruzalem 1900 - 1905

This old stereoscopic card, Jaffa-poort te Jeruzalem, shows a bustling scene outside the Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem, frozen in a sepia-toned past by an anonymous photographer. You can almost feel the weight of those ancient stones rising up to meet the sky, can’t you? Imagine the photographer setting up their camera, carefully composing the scene, waiting for the right moment to capture the movement of people and animals in the square. The light is warm and dusty. It reminds me of being in a busy square in Italy or Spain, watching everyone go about their day. There is something about the stillness of the photograph that makes me want to walk into it. It’s a bit like painting, isn’t it? Trying to capture a feeling, a moment in time, and make it last forever. This photograph reminds us that artists are always looking, always recording, and always finding new ways to see the world. We’re all in conversation with each other, across time and space, sharing our visions and inspiring each other to create.