Vier schoenmakers in een werkplaats 1899

Editor: So, here we have "Vier schoenmakers in een werkplaats" – "Four Shoemakers in a Workshop" – created by Max Schmidt in 1899. It’s a gelatin silver print. The overall effect is quite somber, almost a stark portrayal of labor. What do you see when you look at this piece? Curator: It's funny you mention starkness. It reminds me of stepping into my grandfather's watch repair shop, the air thick with the scent of leather and metal. This image…it breathes of dedication. Of hours etched onto faces. What stories do you think these shoemakers carried in their calloused hands? This gelatin print makes the workshop looks frozen in time, doesn’t it? What draws you into it? Editor: Definitely the intensity in their work, how concentrated they appear to be, though it feels like they were surprised to be photographed. Do you get the sense that Schmidt romanticizes this sort of labor, or is he just showing it like it is? Curator: Ah, good question! I think it teeters beautifully on that edge. There's a certain respect, almost reverence, in capturing the mastery and endurance, wouldn't you agree? Perhaps not romanticizing per se, but definitely highlighting the intrinsic value and quiet dignity inherent in this very specific craft and this very unique set of skills. Is that why you used the word ‘somber’ when we started? Editor: Yeah, I think so. Somber, but also really…grounded. I hadn't thought about dignity being a part of it too. Thanks, I'm seeing new angles here. Curator: Anytime. These images are little wormholes, aren't they? They wiggle their way into your understanding…if you let them!