Wallnerstraβe No. 17, Zinshaus des Herrn A. J. H. Rogge c. 1860s

Editor: So, here we have "Wallnerstraβe No. 17, Zinshaus des Herrn A. J. H. Rogge," a gelatin-silver print from around the 1860s. It depicts a rather stately looking street. It feels incredibly formal and... almost claustrophobic, the way the buildings crowd the frame. What jumps out at you when you look at it? Curator: The unwavering presence of architecture! I see in this image echoes of power, stability and perhaps, even a certain anxiety tied to urbanization. What does a street *mean* culturally? How does the very act of documenting a building like this shape our memory of the society that built it? Consider those repeating windows: are they an expression of order, or something more ominous… a relentless pattern denying individuality? Editor: That’s fascinating. I hadn't thought about the windows as having that kind of symbolism. The buildings, although beautiful in their architecture, do seem to box in the few figures present in the image. Curator: Exactly. Even the light, filtered and directed by the buildings, plays a role. Photography in this period held a certain claim to 'truth,' wouldn't you agree? How do we grapple with that legacy? Look closer - what feelings do those shadowed corners stir? Fear, perhaps, of that which hides within progress and history? This photographer, whoever they were, used symbolic compositions! Editor: The idea of “shadows within progress” gives a whole new layer to this seemingly straightforward street view. I hadn’t really considered the anxieties it might reflect, only the imposing architecture. Curator: Well, hopefully, you will now! Perhaps now you will look into the memory embedded within an urban space. The image stays with you differently when considered with history! Editor: Definitely! It makes me want to investigate more images to unpack what cultural and social codes hide inside them!