Straatgezicht te Peking before 1920

Curator: We're looking at "Straatgezicht te Peking" or "Street View of Peking," a photograph, a photogram actually, taken by Donald Mennie, likely before 1920. Editor: What strikes me immediately is the density of the image, the sheer number of banners or signs suspended above what appears to be a very busy street. The layering, almost overwhelming! It makes me think about access and control of public space through signage. Curator: That’s a keen observation. Consider the role Mennie played. As a Western expatriate, he likely engaged with Peking society from a privileged position, influencing how the city and its visual culture were represented and consumed abroad. His work then entered into a network of power relations. Editor: Absolutely. And looking closely, the printing process enhances that feeling of layered textures. The way the light hits certain surfaces, almost flattening the image in areas… what kind of paper would he have used? How did that affect the reception of this work as both photography and reproducible print? It complicates the idea of photography as pure documentation, leaning it towards crafted art object. Curator: Well, that’s what’s intriguing here, isn’t it? It presents a version of Peking designed to appeal to, and likely exoticize the place for, a Western audience, influencing the market value and exchange of such images and how they shape a narrative. Mennie made several of these photographs, suggesting he sought commercial gain within those prevailing colonial attitudes and marketing the foreignness of it all. Editor: It makes me wonder about the individuals who produced those signs, or the people selling their wares on that busy street below. Were their lives documented or simply made the backdrop, the raw material, of Mennie's work, of his particular interpretation and the printing itself? Curator: Precisely! The very act of framing this street and selecting the vantage point reinforces Mennie's power as a photographer, as image-maker who captures an orientalist, picturesque street view as commodity. Editor: It’s an intriguing example of how material choices and techniques contribute to broader socio-political readings. Considering Mennie’s processes, the way he created a tangible, saleable image, changes how we perceive not only Peking but photography's complex interaction with the world. Curator: Exactly, thinking about whose perspectives and voices dominate. Hopefully, considering all these layered elements can enrich the visitors' appreciation of this single frame.