Gezicht op een toren en brug aan een meer 1867 - 1875

This is an anonymous photograph in the Rijksmuseum titled "Gezicht op een toren en brug aan een meer," showing a tower and bridge by a lake. The stereoscopic image splits the scene into two near-identical views, which, when seen together, aim to create an illusion of three-dimensionality. Consider the composition: the tower, a solid vertical form, anchors the scene, while the gentle curve of the bridge offers a contrasting horizontal line, softened by its reflection on the water's surface. The mirrored symmetry, enhanced by the stereoscopic technique, raises questions about authenticity and artifice. The architecture is reflected in the water, but it's not an exact mirroring, instead subtly destabilizing the viewer's sense of spatial orientation. The use of photography here does not merely capture a scene; instead, it interrogates the very nature of representation, highlighting the tension between reality and its constructed image.