Het gezelschap bij een wandeling in een stadspark in de Harz c. 1903 - 1908

This photograph by Geldolph Adriaan Kessler captures a stroll in a city park in the Harz; it’s a scene washed in gentle browns and soft greys. I imagine Kessler setting up his camera, carefully framing the figures against the backdrop of trees and buildings. Think about what it must have been like to capture such a fleeting moment with the technology available back then. How long did everyone have to stand still for? What were they thinking about? I’m so curious about the unseen effort required to produce such a simple, quotidian scene. The texture of the print itself, the way the light catches the surface—it all adds to the feeling of a moment preserved. The composition, with its balance of open space and dense foliage, reminds me of other images made around this time, a kind of ongoing conversation between artists and photographers. This piece feels like a quiet, thoughtful contribution to the dialogue.