Deur en poort aan de binnenplaats van het oude universiteitsgebouw van de universiteit van Glasgow before 1891

Curator: Here we have an intriguing photographic print, predating 1891, titled "Deur en poort aan de binnenplaats van het oude universiteitsgebouw van de universiteit van Glasgow," which translates to "Door and gate in the courtyard of the old university building of the University of Glasgow." Editor: It strikes me immediately as somber, almost ghostly. The albumen print gives it a muted, sepia tone that accentuates the architectural details. Curator: Indeed. Let’s observe how the photographer, although anonymous, has arranged the composition. Two images share the page. Above, we find an archway shot head-on. Its classical ornamentation contrasts with a simpler building facade beneath it. The photographer uses light and shadow strategically, accentuating the texture of the stonework. Note how the pictorialist style softens the edges. Editor: The stark angles lend the composition an element of rigid formality, speaking to the hierarchical structures of the university. It's impossible not to consider access and exclusion. Who was welcome through that archway and who was not? These older academic institutions often played a significant role in class reproduction. The courtyard itself symbolizes a place of intellectual discourse, which has historically excluded women and minority ethnic groups. Curator: A compelling sociopolitical read. If we return to the formalism, the geometry cannot be overlooked. Notice the orthogonals, receding into depth and guiding the eye. Also of import is the use of tone. While somewhat faded, the blacks still hold depth. And of course, texture abounds—essential for Pictorialists aiming to create artistic images out of documentary material. Editor: It is a beautiful photograph that demonstrates both the capability of architecture to serve as symbolic gatekeeping and photography's ability to record not merely images but ideologies, raising difficult questions about whose history gets memorialized in stone and captured by the lens. Curator: Very well said! A photograph, often considered objective, filtered through the lenses of social and historical experience. Thank you.