Brooklyn Bridge c. 1917

Editor: This etching, titled "Brooklyn Bridge," was created by Bror Julius Olsson Nordfeldt around 1917. The monochrome and blurred scene creates this almost dreamlike feeling, a sort of fragmented memory of an industrial age. What kind of atmosphere or meaning do you find embedded in this image? Curator: The atmospheric quality you describe is fascinating. Look at how Nordfeldt uses the bridge, a symbol of connection and progress, almost shrouded in the mists and smoke of industry. How does this contrast resonate with the psychological climate of the early 20th century, when faith in progress was increasingly complicated by the realities of industrialization and war? Editor: That’s a great point. There’s something very…anxious about the composition. Is the bridge something to celebrate, or a symbol of overwhelming industrial expansion? Curator: Precisely! Consider also the symbol of water – bodies of water are often associated with reflection and the subconscious. Its turbulent depiction here might symbolize the societal anxieties roiling beneath the surface of apparent progress. Do you see a similar dynamic in the relationship between the man-made structure and nature? Editor: I think I do. The bridge seems almost imposed on the landscape, not really integrated into it. Thank you! I see the print now in a completely new light, revealing undercurrents of anxiety and uncertainty. Curator: Indeed! Recognizing these recurring symbols helps us see how much the emotional and social landscapes permeate even the seemingly objective representation of a physical place. A powerful way to represent cultural memory.