Ruïnes met rookwolken aan de Schiedamsedijk te Rotterdam c. 1940 - 1945

Curator: What a somber and striking image. This gelatin-silver print by J. Nolte, created between 1940 and 1945, is titled "Ruïnes met rookwolken aan de Schiedamsedijk te Rotterdam"—Ruins with Clouds of Smoke on the Schiedamsedijk in Rotterdam. Editor: It’s stark. A street rendered to rubble, that pall of smoke… you can almost feel the gritty texture of the ash. You notice the crisp edges of the gelatin silver print as a framing device, providing a harsh border around such chaos and trauma. Curator: Indeed. The image’s material reality heightens the drama of the scene itself. Nolte captured this urban landscape during a profoundly disruptive period. Rotterdam endured heavy bombing during World War II, which obviously factors here. Editor: This photograph provides us a sobering viewpoint into that moment of social and cultural tragedy. It begs the question: who would have consumed these images, and to what end? A reminder? A cautionary tale of national pride? It serves a crucial role in shaping our collective memory. Curator: Perhaps, also, consider Nolte’s own labor here—the artistic decisions involved in framing this devastation. What part did local darkroom supplies have in materializing such heavy scenes for public reflection and state driven social impact campaigns? These considerations are critical. Editor: Absolutely. And we can’t ignore the socio-political factors present. The careful staging almost romanticizes a scene of utter devastation. Notice those figures at the end of the street seemingly posed like actors on a movie set, providing silent testimony to disaster and recovery. Curator: Exactly! Consider, too, that these are tangible materials, chemical reactions that recorded a physical event. It isn't simply about aesthetics or pure history. There's real work involved in sourcing gelatin and silver nitrate during wartime, or even maintaining the means of documentation to remind citizens of this devastation.. Editor: The choices of perspective, framing, and focus emphasize certain historical narratives of rebuilding Rotterdam. Its value as historical documentation lies in that social intention. Curator: An unsettling reminder of the cost of war. The materiality amplifies its raw immediacy, and as material witness this artifact also documents Nolte's craft under conflict.. Editor: A potent convergence of imagery and historical consciousness. The picture serves its audience’s awareness of place within the stream of time and society’s evolving experience of its trauma.