Gezicht op Duinkerke before 1883

This is an image of Dunkirk, presented on a page from 'Le Nord Contemporain Revue Pittoresque'. The photographic process behind this image involves a fascinating interplay of chemistry and optics, capturing a moment in time on a treated surface. The image itself is a bird’s eye view. This perspective would have required specialized equipment or vantage points. The composition gives you a sense of the industrialized port city, including the repetition of masts. This view shows how the labor of countless individuals, from sailors to dockworkers to factory employees, contributed to the larger economic engine. The image can be seen as a record, both artistic and documentary, of this hub of activity. The photograph, then, prompts us to reflect on the amount of work involved in the production process. In doing so, it challenges traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.