Parktor-Rathaus (Park Gate, City Hall) 1929

Franz Weiser captured "Parktor-Rathaus," or "Park Gate, City Hall," in a photograph where the world seems filtered through a screen of sepia tones. Look at the gates themselves, how they're not just barriers but ornate portals. They're all verticals, sharp and upright, contrasting with the soft, blurry mass of the building in the distance. It's like Weiser is playing with focus, making the ironwork so present, so tactile, it almost scratches against the softer background. The detail that snags my eye is that curling flourish at the gate's edge. It's a small touch, but it softens the severity, hinting at a world beyond functionality. It's like a little invitation, a visual whisper that art, even in the most rigid structures, can't help but curl and play. You could almost imagine Atget capturing the streets of Paris in a similar way, each artist finding poetry in the everyday, one with gates and the other with buildings.