Haven in Malta 1860 - 1910

Curator: Before us, we have “Haven in Malta,” a photograph created sometime between 1860 and 1910, attributed to Horatio Agius. Editor: Immediately, I'm struck by the materiality of the image itself. That rich sepia tone speaks of an era of specific chemical processes, photographic paper... a tangible link to the past. Curator: Absolutely. And consider the iconography of the scene—the mass of ships huddled in the harbor. A ‘haven,’ indeed, suggests more than just shelter. For Malta, haven meant naval power, a nexus point in colonial trade, but also potential vulnerability, representing a reliance on outside influence for both protection and economic survival. Editor: Exactly. The photograph itself becomes a document of imperial power, right? Those ships weren’t just floating around; they were constructed with specific material resources, labor practices. It’s all connected. The island relied on outside resources for manufacturing materials; for ship building materials like wood and steel and even labor. Curator: You can even view this “haven” as a stage for symbolic exchange—each ship bearing its nation’s colors, their journeys laden with intent, creating cultural meanings by virtue of just existing together in that frame. The vantage point above it all speaks to power relations—observation, dominion… Editor: And someone had to build those buildings that are included in the frame to offer us this privileged view point. How about the very structure and function of photography itself? What would that have looked like and required? What did the local population get out of it beyond being subjects in this project? What were their wages for posing? Curator: The photograph is asking some of those questions indirectly and invites a deeper dive into labor practices that shaped these ports, not merely at what passed through it, but the local economic transformation happening at the time it was taken. I guess it's less about trade and more about material. Editor: So, more than just a pretty picture. Curator: Exactly! This single image tells the larger story of this island's relationship with the wider world.