Voet van de Congreskolom in Brussel 1866 - 1870

Editor: So, here we have a stereo card photograph from between 1866 and 1870 by Jules Hippolyte Qu\u00e9val depicting the base of the Congreskolom in Brussels. The photograph captures the monument’s statues and stonework. It's grand! I’m immediately drawn to the sheer volume of sculptural elements. What stands out to you? Curator: What interests me is thinking about the social conditions surrounding the making of such a monument and its photograph. We have stone, bronze, the labor of quarrymen and sculptors, the photographer's process and printing. How did these different materials and the processes to refine them coalesce within a specific economic structure of the time? Editor: That's a very different perspective! So you're considering it as an object born of specific manufacturing conditions? Curator: Precisely! This monument is not simply an artistic creation but the outcome of an industrial endeavor. Consider the societal demand that fueled such extensive construction, especially after the Belgian Revolution of 1830. Also the labor! Think about the labour involved in mining and transporting the materials, sculpting each figure... What was the workforce like? Were they unionized? How does viewing it this way change our perspective of the artwork? Editor: It makes me think of the whole infrastructure needed for just this section of the Congreskolom to exist. From extracting the raw materials to refining and placing them. I didn’t consider the human element so literally. Curator: Exactly! Viewing art through the lens of its material creation makes it more relatable. We see it not as an isolated masterpiece, but as part of the world’s everyday materials, trades, and market dynamics. Editor: That makes a lot of sense. I’ll definitely look at other artworks differently now!