Straattafereel met voorbijgangers op de Dam, Amsterdam, Nederland Possibly 1900 - 1907

This photograph of a street scene with passers-by on the Dam in Amsterdam was taken by Adrianus Scheltema-Beduin. It presents as a hazy memory, a sepia-toned glimpse into another time. I can imagine the photographer setting up his equipment on the busy square, trying to capture a sense of place. It feels like he wanted to capture the hustle and bustle of the Dam, the architecture looming large behind the figures. It would have been difficult at the time to capture moving figures. The photo has that slightly blurry quality, which makes it feel dreamlike and a little sad. It reminds me of looking through old family albums, trying to piece together the stories of people I never knew. It makes you wonder about the lives of all those figures, frozen in time. Photography can be a generous medium; artists learn from each other through observation and experimentation, so that we can better understand the world.