About to start Possibly 1908

Curator: This gelatin-silver print, possibly from 1908, is titled "About to Start" and is credited to Geldolph Adriaan Kessler. The scene captures a moment of early motoring. What strikes you about it? Editor: A definite sense of anticipation, but also a feeling of…vulnerability. The figures seem quite exposed in this desolate landscape, almost comically fussing around this newfangled machine. The car, though promising movement, looks like it may require a lot of coddling to even get moving. Curator: It is telling, isn’t it? The burgeoning automobile age was sold as progress and freedom, but the reality involved quite a bit of physical labor, especially given the era’s infrastructure, or lack thereof. Note the luggage. I suspect it symbolizes more than simple travel preparations. Editor: You’re thinking about the social significance? It does raise questions of accessibility and privilege. Who had the time and resources for motoring adventures in 1908? Perhaps Kessler is subtly critiquing that societal stratification. Curator: I see the car, then, functioning as a totem, representative of a new social class and leisure activity. Consider how prominently the wheels and spare are displayed. Wheels are a symbol of progress but this display also signifies excess in early 20th-century Europe. Editor: Interesting. I was focused more on the potential breakdown. In my mind, the spare tire also references unpreparedness. The image hints that, in life, as in motoring, no one can be truly prepared for every setback, every pothole in the road, right? Curator: Precisely! It mirrors life’s uncertain path. Photography, a medium then considered cutting-edge, captured this particular historical moment—the advent of mass-produced automobiles—linking technology with society. We see the transition and all its complications captured in one single shot. Editor: Kessler offers us an intriguing peek into a very particular slice of history, not just the technology of the age, but the underlying aspirations and anxieties surrounding progress and mobility. It makes you consider the baggage we still carry in relation to technological advancements. Curator: Indeed, by exploring both the technological progress of the time, in combination with the emotional baggage associated with it, the image stands as a thoughtful observation of shifting landscapes both internal and external.