Gezicht op Graz, gezien vanaf de Schlossberg 1857 - 1863

Editor: This is a striking 19th-century photograph, “Gezicht op Graz, gezien vanaf de Schlossberg,” or "View of Graz, seen from Schlossberg", dating back to between 1857 and 1863. The detail for something of that vintage is impressive. It really gives a sense of the city nestled amongst the greenery. What do you see when you look at this image? Curator: You know, it almost feels like peering through a time machine. Look at the textures – the stone buildings against the wispy trees; I can practically smell the wood smoke drifting from chimneys. The city appears to embrace nature. Makes you wonder about the stories unfolding in those buildings, the lives intersecting within the frame. Does the monochromatic palette impact how you connect with it? Editor: Definitely. The sepia tones lend it a nostalgic air, a sort of timeless quality. I'm curious about the framing, almost like binoculars…or is it my eyes playing tricks? Curator: Clever you. It’s a stereoscopic card. If you viewed it through a special viewer, the image would appear three-dimensional. These cards were incredibly popular forms of entertainment! This photographic perspective flattens Graz while also offering this illusory depth; history, art, and an ancestor of VR all rolled into one. Did anything surprise you? Editor: The blend of the man-made and the natural is certainly memorable. What surprises me the most is how something so old can still feel so immediate and evocative. Curator: Precisely. These early photographs have an almost uncanny ability to collapse time and space. It makes one consider the continuities between then and now, doesn't it? Graz might have changed, but I wager there’s a similar spirit.