Disaster on the Dunes the Huns blow up the last bridge and isolate our hard-pressed battalions 1914 - 1918

Curator: This gelatin silver print, aptly named "Disaster on the Dunes," captures a scene from 1914-1918 showing what's described as Huns blowing up a bridge. Editor: It’s chaotic, immediately evokes a sense of destruction, not only the bridge but some sense of larger failure… The gray scale renders everything stark, like looking at memory itself, all washed out. Curator: Precisely, there's this blurring, almost like rain, except those are explosions reaching upward in delicate lines. Editor: Delicately horrific. It's interesting how the landscape almost mimics the chaos above it; the ripples in the water feel just as frantic as the exploding debris. The bridge, now destroyed, looks like broken teeth, sticking up above the horizon. Curator: These 'Realistic Travels' prints, produced under Royal Command, served a very specific purpose in wartime Britain. Beyond being propaganda, they seem to tap into this deeply ingrained idea of landscape representing something else: history, the sublime, terror. Editor: And, dare I say, trauma? I find it interesting, the perspective is as though we're there. As a viewer, one could almost step into the chaos and feel a fragment of this awful, pivotal event. The visual effect is overwhelming; however, this "Realism" seems manufactured. This photograph could very well be staged and doctored for viewing pleasure. Curator: Right, there’s something deeply unsettling about the visual grandeur here, given the subject. One sees an incredible power and artistry. The horror doesn't sit with the devastation of the Dunes or the terror of the war; it dwells, in a strange way, in the sublime presentation itself. Editor: I appreciate the insight into understanding "Realistic Travels" photography. There's no simple interpretation as far as aesthetics or history go, is there? Curator: None at all, but as unsettling as it is, a compelling piece, isn't it?