Rotten Row, Lauder- Dr. Wilson's birthplace before 1893

Editor: Here we have a photograph, before 1893, titled "Rotten Row, Lauder- Dr. Wilson's birthplace." It appears as an illustration in a book. It depicts a street view. What grabs my attention is the almost uncanny sense of depth it conveys, despite the small scale. What stands out to you, examining the image as it is composed within this book? Curator: Note the juxtaposition of textures, Editor. We see the coarse grain of the aged paper against the sharper focus of the photographic print itself. This creates a visual dialogue. How does the contrast influence your understanding? Editor: It certainly makes me think about layers of time – the old book, holding an image of an older place and time. Curator: Precisely. The composition within the book's pages emphasizes the constructed nature of our view. It's not a direct experience, but mediated. The flat, almost geometric shapes of the buildings contrast with the atmospheric perspective leading back to the vanishing point. Consider, what visual tools create the illusion of space and depth here? Editor: The road gets narrower and the tones become lighter, which suggests distance. Also, the figures become smaller, indicating their remoteness within the picture. Curator: Yes. Now, focusing on the relationship between the print and the surrounding text – does the text frame or comment upon the image in any noticeable way, influencing its aesthetic impact, despite our not reading it in this context? Editor: Absolutely, it contextualizes it. It lends the photograph a weightiness, situating it within a historical narrative, something more profound. Curator: The photograph transforms into an artifact and we appreciate its construction and placement within the whole as significant. Editor: Thank you; I had not considered how integral the print medium is to interpreting this image.