Ingang van Kleine Poot 9 te Deventer c. 1901

Curator: Immediately, it feels a bit melancholic, doesn’t it? That slightly off-kilter door and the quiet light. Like a memory fading. Editor: Indeed, it has that certain *je ne sais quoi*. Let me illuminate some context. Here we have an image titled “Ingang van Kleine Poot 9 te Deventer,” or Entrance to Kleine Poot 9 in Deventer, taken circa 1901 by an anonymous photographer working for Monumentenzorg. Curator: Monumentenzorg… literally, “monument care.” So already, a sense of preservation, of cherishing something old and possibly crumbling. The peeling wall, almost. It's all so deliberate. But still that half-opened door… it's very inviting, or maybe unnerving. Editor: I'm struck by the signage above the entrance: "IJZER MAGA ZUN," a clear indicator this building functioned as an iron warehouse, the solid weight of metal replaced by architectural lightness. Symbolically, think of iron’s traditional associations – strength, resilience – being held within delicate balance, on the precipice. Curator: Absolutely, but did you see the person near the door! Almost a ghost there, watching the Iron Palace to see who will enter or exit, maybe! Editor: Ah! Good eye... The person could very well be an indicator of scale in architectural photography of this period. I must add that his shadowy figure adds a touch of mystery, inviting viewers to imagine what other hidden secrets that this door holds within the walls. Curator: Exactly. So a portal between robustness and fragility? Now, that's delicious in its metaphoric possibility, wouldn’t you agree? Editor: I concur, and such dichotomies give layers to a humble doorway photo, rendering what may have first appeared so banal and forgettable… into something memorable and rather sublime! Curator: Exactly! The iron hides some ghost within it, even with this photo we have dug a bit more of what it hides.