Panoramisch gezicht vanaf Meramec Highlands tijdens de wereldtentoonstelling in St. Louis (Louisiana Purchase Exposition), 1904 1904

Curator: I find this photograph quite evocative. It's titled "Panoramisch gezicht vanaf Meramec Highlands tijdens de wereldtentoonstelling in St. Louis (Louisiana Purchase Exposition), 1904," and it was created by Jan Schüller. It’s now part of the Rijksmuseum collection. Editor: My immediate impression is of a ghostly, almost dreamlike vista. The tonal range is so narrow; everything seems to melt into the hazy sky. The textures—the bare trees, the suggestion of buildings in the distance—are subtle but present. Curator: Indeed, it’s a compelling piece of pictorialism. What interests me is how it captures a moment of intense public spectacle, the World's Fair, and reframes it as something quite still and introspective. This Exposition, a celebration of progress, also carried complex colonial implications and reinforced social hierarchies within American society. Schüller presents a deliberate contrast by subduing the visual dynamics with that stylistic stillness. Editor: Pictorialism often favored subjective, aesthetic expression over purely objective representation, right? That focus certainly shows here. Look at how the composition is structured. There's a foreground of tangled trees that serves almost as a screen, drawing the eye to that blurry expanse in the distance. It's less about topographical accuracy and more about atmosphere. Curator: Exactly. The artist uses the landscape, arguably romanticizes it even as these events unfolded. Schüller seems to be using the photograph to ask what, and perhaps who, gets centered in our public narratives about growth and modernization. Editor: And the blurring, the almost painterly quality, makes me think about how photography, as a medium, was grappling with its identity back then. Was it simply a tool for documentation, or could it be a form of art, with its own visual language? This image, with its soft focus and deliberate composition, makes a strong case for the latter. Curator: Considering Schüller's viewpoint atop Meramec Highlands, he frames not only a physical panorama but also offers a subtle commentary on the spectacle and society itself. A view from a height implies both overview and judgement. Editor: A beautifully muted, yet provocative composition—quiet in its power. Curator: I agree. It allows us to meditate on progress, photography and perhaps, the social complexities inherent in large-scale public events.