Gezicht op de Puerta del Sol en het Ministerie van Binnenlandse Zaken in Madrid c. 1857 - 1880

Juan Laurent captured this albumen print of the Puerta del Sol in Madrid. Laurent, a Frenchman working in Spain, documented its cities and landscapes, reflecting the country's aspirations of modernization. This photograph freezes a moment in Madrid's history, a city grappling with its identity amidst political change and burgeoning industrialization. The Puerta del Sol, a bustling hub, reveals a society in flux, where traditional horse-drawn carriages share space with the new tramways. We see men in suits and hats, women in long skirts, and a diverse mix of people coexisting, each navigating their place within a changing social order. Laurent's lens doesn't merely record, it curates. The elevated perspective grants a sense of order, yet the human presence ensures that the photograph remains deeply connected to the life and experiences of the people who inhabit this space. While the image presents a relatively homogenous image, it prompts us to consider who is missing, whose stories remain untold in this visual record. This photograph invites us to reflect on how cities shape our identities, and how we, in turn, shape them.