Interieur van het Kurhaus te Scheveningen na de brand 1886 - 1887

Carl Philip Wollrabe made this albumen print, depicting the interior of the Kurhaus in Scheveningen after a fire. The image shows a space devastated by fire, exposing the bones of iron infrastructure. The photograph is made using the albumen process, which involves coating paper with egg white and silver nitrate, then exposing it to light through a negative. This photographic technique, common in the 19th century, allowed for detailed and reproducible images. The Kurhaus itself was a monument to leisure and industry, and you can still see the skeleton of the iron structure that defined its architecture. Iron production was a significant industry, relying on the labor of miners and factory workers. The consumption of structures such as the Kurhaus supported the production of iron. The ruins of the structure, captured in the photograph, show the costs of industrial production. Considering the materials, making, and social context of this photograph gives a fuller picture of its meaning.