Gezicht op Istanbul met centraal het Paleis van de Sultan aan de Bosporus before 1914

This photograph of Istanbul with the Sultan's Palace and the Bosphorus, by Sébah & Joaillier, captures a sweeping view in tones of sepia, a world of soft focus and diffused light. Look at how the details of the city bleed into each other, a process of light and shadow, almost like memory itself, where the edges blur and fade. The rooftops tumble into the water, and the ships rest on the surface. The process here feels almost like an act of excavation, a way of sifting through the layers to find something essential. It reminds me of Atget's photographs of Paris, capturing a city in transition, a moment on the cusp of change. Like Atget, Sébah & Joaillier offer us a glimpse into a world that is both familiar and distant, inviting us to contemplate the passage of time and the enduring power of place. This piece offers a space of imagination around the artwork.