Straat in Velp 1867 - 1885

Pieter Oosterhuis captured this street view in Velp using photography, a relatively new medium at the time. Photography itself is a fascinating interplay of chemistry and optics, light captured through a lens and permanently etched onto a treated surface. Here, the sepia tones speak to the particular chemical processes of early photography. The very act of taking this photograph was tied to social and economic forces. Early photography was a scientific endeavor, requiring specialized knowledge and equipment. But it was also becoming increasingly accessible, a tool for documentation and, of course, artistic expression. Oosterhuis, by choosing to depict this quiet street, engages with the burgeoning industrial era’s impact on the everyday. Photography, as a medium, democratized representation, and allowed for a wider audience to see and be seen. It blurred the lines between observer and observed, artist and artisan, inviting us to reconsider the value we place on different modes of making.