Matrozen vieren feest 1940 - 1943

Editor: Here we have an image titled "Sailors Celebrating", created anonymously between 1940 and 1943. It's a gelatin-silver print, and what strikes me most is how raw and spontaneous it feels. How do you see this piece reflecting the period it was made? Curator: This photograph intrigues me particularly because it captures an instance of celebration amidst wartime, challenging traditional portrayals of conflict. Examining its materiality, we see a gelatin-silver print, a common yet potent medium of its time, reproducible and distributable. It reflects the accessibility of photography and the ability to circulate images. Editor: Interesting. It definitely feels like a moment captured for posterity, or propaganda even. Curator: Exactly. The image shows sailors during wartime. Who made the print and how the work reached its audience become particularly relevant here. It could have served different purposes depending on the context of its production and consumption, considering potential wartime propaganda or documentation of daily life in extraordinary circumstances. Think of what restrictions were placed on photographs during this time, and what work it might take to smuggle a photo like this from one location to another. Editor: So you're saying understanding how it was made and used can give us a richer insight into the piece, beyond just its surface appearance. Curator: Precisely! Analyzing the materiality and means of production provides essential layers of understanding. These celebrations serve a function during wartime. The work involved may have also helped foster group dynamics between the enlisted people, who have left home and who will share more than one significant experience during this turbulent period of their lives. Editor: This makes me think differently about how something as simple as a photograph can tell us about culture, history, and even the work necessary to realize such a product. Curator: Yes, it really makes us appreciate the nuances behind seemingly simple images. Looking through a material lens unveils a lot.