Gezicht op de Wijnhaven en de koepel van de Groothoofdspoort, Dordrecht 1859 - 1870

Curator: This gelatin silver print, taken between 1859 and 1870, captures a serene view of the Wijnhaven and Groothoofdspoort in Dordrecht through the lens of Pieter Oosterhuis. Editor: The photograph possesses such stillness. The tones feel antique, with almost dreamlike water reflecting the impressive dome. Is that sepia wash adding to the tranquility? Curator: Actually, this monochrome comes solely from the gelatin silver process, quite a groundbreaking tech back then. I imagine the exposure time itself lent to that sense of calm. These prints demanded patience, you know, affecting the photographer's mindset as much as the subject’s. Editor: It's amazing to consider the labor involved in early photography. Each print needed precise chemical baths, development, and fixing – a true material intervention transforming reality. And thinking about this piece particularly—the gelatin itself, derived from animal collagen, played a crucial role. It just heightens the sense of making and transforming. Curator: Absolutely! It’s also poignant to realize Oosterhuis was capturing a Dordrecht already on the cusp of great change; this document acts as both aesthetic and a social artifact. I find the details captivating, for instance—notice how water traffic dictated building design back then! Editor: I agree. What interests me more is seeing Dordrecht frozen at this pre-industrial turning point, as materials replaced hand labor on grand scales...It’s odd because a new kind of vision technology – photography—memorializes those older conditions. Curator: Such a compelling point! The old and the new overlapping to reshape perspective. The print isn't just something to see, but something to hold. Editor: A tactile and emotional object for our own processing—perhaps the most critical component. Curator: Precisely! I leave feeling rather centered and still...ready to face whatever frenetic contemporary experience comes my way. Editor: I see those dock pilings standing proud as relics now...reminders, perhaps, of the beauty produced even in the act of material advancement.