Onbekende personen en twee ezels voor een winkel te Peking before 1920

Editor: So, here we have "Onbekende personen en twee ezels voor een winkel te Peking," which translates to "Unknown People and Two Donkeys in front of a Shop in Peking," taken before 1920 by Donald Mennie. It's a gelatin silver print. I'm really struck by how the mundane reality of street commerce is captured in this early photograph. What draws your eye when you look at it? Curator: Well, immediately, the gelatin silver print itself. We have to consider the shift in photographic technology; it allowed for mass reproduction in ways previously unimaginable. Here, it freezes a very specific moment, normalizing not just the built environment but the material relationships within it: the donkeys, the goods being transported, the labor of everyday life on display. Editor: That's interesting – you're seeing the photograph itself as a key part of understanding the scene. Curator: Exactly. This isn’t just a picturesque scene; it’s a document. The way the materials, from the building facade to the donkey's load, are presented and consumed matters. Who benefitted from this system? Who bore the labor? It raises questions about class and access within this early 20th-century Peking cityscape. We see the shop as part of trade networks; its ornate facade made through many peoples labor. Editor: I never really thought of the photograph as more than just a window onto another time. It's amazing how much more there is to consider when thinking about its materiality and how it mediates our understanding. Curator: Precisely. Examining these material conditions challenges us to rethink traditional notions of value in art history. Editor: Definitely gives me a new perspective to consider! Thanks!