Testen van een wals 1931 - 1937

Here is a page from an anonymous photo album, filled with images of a machine they called "Testen van een wals". I’m drawn to the stark black and white tones, the way the light creates dramatic shadows, and how these snapshots become documents of a bygone era. It makes me think about what this anonymous photographer was trying to capture. Was it a celebration of industrial progress? Or a more personal fascination with the machine itself? I imagine the photographer carefully arranging each photo on the page, trying to tell a story. There’s a sense of order and control, but also a touch of whimsy in the way the images are placed. Each photograph in this album is like a brushstroke, coming together to form a collective portrait. The work resonates with the raw, documentary style of artists like Walker Evans or Bernd and Hilla Becher, inviting us to contemplate the beauty and complexity of our industrial past. Just a nice slice of life!