Gezicht op de Leuvehaven in Rotterdam 1860 - 1890

Editor: This gelatin silver print, “Gezicht op de Leuvehaven in Rotterdam,” was taken sometime between 1860 and 1890. It's a fairly straightforward landscape, but I'm struck by how the stillness of the water almost makes it feel like a stage. How do you interpret this work? Curator: That stillness is deceptive, isn’t it? Rotterdam in this era was a rapidly expanding port city, crucial to global trade and Dutch colonial power. What looks picturesque here actually reflects the socio-economic forces that shaped both the city and the photographic medium itself. Editor: So you’re saying the photograph isn’t just a neutral recording of a place? Curator: Precisely! Consider the access to photography in the 19th century. Who had the resources to commission or create such images? Whose perspectives were prioritized, and whose were erased? Even in what seems a purely objective cityscape, we see choices – about framing, subject, and ultimately, about which stories get told. Do you see how the photograph might romanticize the activities that supported the economy? Editor: I see what you mean. It almost normalizes the wealth, power structures, and even exploitation that were inherent to Rotterdam's success as a port. It looks beautiful, but that beauty might mask something more complex. Curator: Exactly! Looking at it now, does the "aged paper" tag take on a different resonance? This photograph isn't just old, it’s a record of a specific moment and mindset. Editor: Absolutely. I never would have considered that. I'll definitely look at older landscapes differently now, always thinking about what they include, and what they deliberately exclude. Curator: And that awareness helps us understand how those power dynamics continue to shape our world today.