Gezicht op een kerk in Issoire, Frankrijk 1860 - 1880

Curator: Here we have an albumen print from somewhere between 1860 and 1880 by Toulot-Laroche. It’s entitled “View of a Church in Issoire, France.” Editor: It's quite ethereal looking. Almost like a dreamscape of stone and light. Curator: Albumen prints like this were really important in popularizing photography, weren't they? I mean, suddenly you had affordable reproductions making their way across the continent. This image itself presents such a specific view of the Romanesque and medieval periods too. It really spoke to architectural interests gaining prominence through preservation movements at the time. Editor: Absolutely, think of all that material and human labor represented here. Someone had to mine and quarry all of those stones, and this doesn't even begin to speak about the architectural knowledge, or how craftspeople organized and then hauled everything onsite...and that’s not even getting into the creation of this photo itself. Curator: True, it reminds you of the pre-industrial world. One can even look at photographs as a form of preservation. In the modern world things get razed all the time to build anew; imagery captures social memory about specific architectural techniques, what building means, and even civic and ecclesiastical ambitions of bygone societies. Editor: Looking closely, the process is part of what makes this so beautiful to me, too. Albumen gives such unique tones, and even in this little frame you can sense how tangible this photograph truly is. It allows for such intimate contact. Curator: Photography was definitely coming into its own as a medium for documentary and artistic endeavors by the late 19th century. Now it feels like one small part in a much broader history. Editor: Yes, something that makes a direct connection between building, labor, image and viewer. This really highlights what we stand to inherit or possibly even lose. Curator: So well said. Editor: Glad you thought so.