Klinkerweg met bomen, huizen en toegangspoorten c. 1905 - 1907

Curator: What a quietly compelling image. This gelatin silver print by Folkert Idzes de Jong, titled "Klinkerweg met bomen, huizen en toegangspoorten," likely taken between 1905 and 1907, invites us down a brick road lined with trees. Editor: It's striking how sepia-toned and soft everything looks. Almost melancholic, as if veiled in a collective memory of a time gone by, emphasizing the muted and repetitive landscape. Curator: That melancholy might come from what's represented as well as the method. Streets are liminal spaces. The brick road here represents a transitional space between community and individuality. Streets as boundaries are reflected in many older works, where people occupy these spaces for both commerce and social connectivity. Editor: Yes, I agree. And the stark lines of the bare trees emphasize that boundary. Consider that access. The houses with what appears to be fencing emphasizes this concept as well. It visually speaks to themes of ownership and belonging. This contrasts against the implied, yet absent, people using the klinkerweg as a path. Where are they going? Curator: The repeated gate symbols and even the regular, tree-lined pathway itself contribute to this atmosphere of constrained movement. It’s about access, which could signify control but also hope, promising opportunity. Editor: Absolutely, it hints at both possibility and limitation. Also consider who these controlled routes really benefit in society: it certainly can't apply equally to all when ownership is a component of identity. It also is possible to believe that the bridges in this print symbolize a possible overcoming, connecting those that remain separated. Curator: Looking at how the image draws us toward a far-off horizon point. Editor: Makes me reconsider who might be living on the other side of the road: and how power is concentrated into certain segments within a certain space. Thank you for those points; it's provided new lenses with which I view this seemingly mundane yet significant print. Curator: And for me as well. It seems those symbols were far deeper than expected, as many stories are yet to be unwritten.