Untitled (San Francisco from Telegraph Hill) c. 1925

Editor: Here we have an untitled photograph by William Edward Dassonville, showing San Francisco from Telegraph Hill. It’s all in soft shades of gray; it feels dreamy and a bit melancholic. What do you see in it? Curator: The city seems to be emerging, or perhaps dissolving, in the fog. Notice how the dark trees frame the distant skyline, like memories guarding a secret. Does it remind you of anything? Perhaps a half-forgotten dream? Editor: It does feel like a memory! Like a place you know, but can't quite grasp. Curator: Exactly! Dassonville captures that ephemeral quality, doesn't he? It is like a whispered secret of place. What does this photograph whisper to you? Editor: It whispers of longing. Maybe I'm longing for a place I've never even been. Curator: And perhaps that longing *is* the place, in a way. Food for thought!