Piet en Pim in gistloods op "Ma retraite" 1903 - 1910

Curator: This is a fascinating cyanotype by Hendrik Doijer, titled "Piet en Pim in gistloods op 'Ma retraite'," dating from around 1903 to 1910. What are your initial impressions? Editor: I’m struck by the almost ghostly blue hue and the everyday scene it captures. Two men and two children in what looks like a storage shed, perhaps. What particularly jumps out at you? Curator: Immediately, I consider the materiality of the cyanotype itself. It was a relatively accessible photographic process, using readily available chemicals and sunlight. Why would Doijer choose this method? What does it tell us about the resources, or perhaps the intent, behind creating this image? Editor: So, the process itself is important. Maybe it speaks to the kind of audience he envisioned? Curator: Precisely. Was this meant for personal record, scientific documentation, or perhaps something else? Look closely at the subjects, their attire, the tools. Are we looking at a depiction of labor? What kind? And what relationship exists between the subjects and the depicted tools? Editor: I hadn't really considered that aspect of it. The tools are clearly present, a shovel, a basket… they are very basic tools. It’s fascinating to think about how the very *making* of the image ties into questions of labor and representation, isn’t it? Curator: Exactly! Think about the labor involved in producing a cyanotype versus a more established photographic print. We are not only viewing a representation of labor, we are experiencing it on a different scale. Are there any connections you observe between the depicted laborers in the cyanotype and the medium in which it was captured? Editor: I see what you mean, the labor is embedded in the process itself! I learned something new today! Thank you for your expertise.