Militairen bij loopgraven in de frontlinie, vermoedelijk Italianen 1916

Editor: This photograph, “Militairen bij loopgraven in de frontlinie, vermoedelijk Italianen,” taken around 1916, shows soldiers in what looks like a very rough, mountainous terrain. It's a gelatin silver print, giving it a stark, documentary feel. The landscape dominates, almost swallowing the figures. What's your take on this image? Curator: Looking at this, I immediately think about the materiality of war. Consider the immense effort to construct those trenches in such a difficult landscape. The timber, the earth moved – it’s all human labor transforming the environment. How does the print itself, the gelatin silver, play into the dissemination and consumption of this war imagery? Editor: That’s a good point. The reproduction of images, how they circulated… it’s easy to overlook. Curator: Exactly. And look at the clothing and equipment the soldiers are carrying. Everything about their uniform speaks to material deprivation and preparation for a brutal physical undertaking. Were these materials locally sourced? Imported? How did the war effort impact the economies of those areas? Editor: So, you see this photo as a document of material conditions and the massive logistical effort behind the conflict? Curator: Precisely. The “war” is more than just strategy and politics; it is the immense exertion of men extracting and constructing. What do these stark huts suggest about how and from what these men made their shelter? Are they resourceful? Were they made from the earth around them? This makes me consider the social structure of this specific conflict. Editor: That reframes it for me. I was focused on the representation of war, but the material reality is far more revealing. Curator: Indeed. The availability, deployment, and consumption of goods ultimately reveals the inner workings of war in a profound and lasting way.