Gezicht op de Hervormde Kerk te Wijk en Aalburg 1904

This serene sepia photograph of the Hervormde Kerk in Wijk en Aalburg, made by an anonymous artist from Monumentenzorg, has a dreamlike quality. I wonder about the photographer, setting up their equipment to frame this church – perhaps a daily part of the town’s landscape. The scene is muted, with an emphasis on the church’s structure and the surrounding greenery. There’s a palpable stillness to the image, a quietude that invites reflection. It reminds me of those early architectural studies, where photography was as much about documenting a place as it was about understanding light and form. Think of Eugène Atget, who captured old Paris. This photographer, like Atget, seems drawn to the play of light across surfaces, the subtle textures of brick and foliage. What were they hoping to capture? Maybe just the soul of a small town.