Sunday Morning Chester c. 20th century

Karl Struss made this print, "Sunday Morning Chester," sometime in the early twentieth century using a photographic process that gives it this dreamy, almost hazy look. It's like a memory, faded around the edges but still holding onto its core. I can imagine Struss out there, setting up his camera, waiting for the light to be just right. Probably thinking about how to capture not just the scene but the feeling of a lazy Sunday morning. There's a road winding through the landscape, a tree kind of leaning in, watching over it all, and tiny figures strolling along. What strikes me is the way everything seems soft. It’s not about sharp details but more about the overall mood. That tree, it's not just a tree. It's got this personality, like it's been there forever, seen everything. Struss seems to be saying something about time, about the simple beauty of everyday life. I like to think about how we are constantly in conversation with artists from the past, always finding new ways to see and feel.