Volle maan c. 1866 - 1880

Curator: Well, hello there. We're looking at "Volle maan," which translates to "Full Moon," a gelatin-silver print dating somewhere around 1866 to 1880. The photograph is based on an original negative by Warren De La Rue, but was printed by Smith, Beck & Beck. What do you think of it? Editor: Stark beauty! It is deceptively simple, this solitary moon against an endless, consuming black. It reminds me of ancient celestial maps, or a cosmic eye staring back at us. What stories do you think it holds? Curator: Ah, absolutely. Think about the era – late 19th century, nascent photography pushing boundaries of science and art. For eons the moon was a silent god. This work attempts to ground that symbolic deity in the gritty realities of observation. Do you get the impression of both reverence and meticulous study? Editor: Definitely. It’s both romantic and strikingly scientific. The moon as a symbol is deeply embedded in so many cultures: femininity, cyclical time, the unconscious. I almost see a Yin symbol staring back. Perhaps by capturing it so literally, we simultaneously demystify it, yet strengthen it. Curator: An elegant capture! Because who hasn't been touched by that orb? I wonder, when De La Rue created his original negative, did he realize he was playing midwife to the birth of so many subsequent cultural associations? It feels almost prophetic, somehow. Editor: Prophetic is right. You wonder what they felt in those first moments after capturing it… something akin to cosmic comprehension. By stripping down our own romantic gaze and truly observing it—we discover, in all its pockmarked truth, how much we need its symbolic resonance in our world. It still drives our tides, whether we acknowledge it or not. Curator: Well put! I think I’ll never look at a photo of the moon in the same way again.