Westelijke spoorbrug bij Amsterdam Centraal Station 1909 - 1922

This photograph shows the Western railway bridge at Amsterdam Central Station. The anonymous photographer, probably working for Merkelbach & Co, captured this scene in a way that's all about the textures. I see a cobblestone ground plane, the details of the brickwork, and the heavy, hulking forms of the bridge itself. It's a bit like an Agnes Martin grid, the repeating squares of the brickwork creating a field for the eye. I’m especially drawn to the little figures standing in front of the bridge; their dark forms really emphasize the industrial scale of the station. The tones are sepia, a palette of warm browns, which gives it a kind of melancholic feel. It makes me think about how photographs change with time, acquiring a patina, but it also makes me think about the photographic process as a form of alchemy.