Trongate in the Olden Time 1900

Curator: Right, let's immerse ourselves in James Craig Annan's "Trongate in the Olden Time." Dating back to 1900, this evocative image is a photogravure print, a process where a photographic image is transferred to a metal plate and etched, then printed like an etching. Editor: My immediate impression is that the monochrome softens what would otherwise be a hectic street scene. The whole composition seems to float in this delicate, melancholic fog of the past. Curator: Absolutely, there's a sense of faded grandeur. Annan was a key figure in the Pictorialist movement, which championed photography as fine art. His prints often employed soft focus and subtle tones to create painterly effects. You feel you're looking at a memory, a story unfolding, rather than a straight documentary photograph. Editor: Precisely! It’s interesting how Pictorialism embraced atmosphere and subjective interpretation. What strikes me is the level of social stratification visible, even in this fleeting moment. You have the bourgeois carriages contrasted against the groups gathering on street corners. This image inadvertently speaks to the socio-economic conditions of the era. Curator: Good point! And the presence of the church steeples towering over everything... they function, both literally and figuratively, as enduring symbols of authority and moral rectitude looming over the hustle of commerce and everyday life. There is always such pressure. Editor: But, what is absent is as significant. I see very little representation of women here. Is it an intentional exclusion, or an accurate depiction of public life in that place and time? This silence opens important avenues of inquiry related to visibility, representation, and social power dynamics. Curator: It leaves us to ponder doesn’t it? This seemingly quiet cityscape murmurs louder and louder, if we only tune in and ask a few questions. Editor: Indeed. This is a quiet artwork which resonates long after one looks away.