Gezicht op de Sint-Janskathedraal te 's-Hertogenbosch 1885 - 1910

Pierre Weijnen made this photograph of the Sint-Janskathedraal in ‘s-Hertogenbosch sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century, using a photographic process that gives the image its sepia tone. The photograph offers us a glimpse into the architecture and urban landscape of the Netherlands during a period of significant social and political change. Weijnen, positioned outside the frame, creates a hierarchy where the cathedral looms over the domestic architecture below. The Sint-Janskathedraal, a symbol of religious authority, stands as a testament to the enduring power of the Catholic Church in a rapidly modernizing world. Weijnen invites us to reflect on the shifting dynamics between the sacred and the secular, the historical and the contemporary, as the Netherlands navigated its path into the 20th century.