Buitenkant, de latere Prins Hendrikkade, Amsterdam 1859 - 1870

Pieter Oosterhuis created this stereograph of Buitenkant, now Prins Hendrikkade in Amsterdam, using the albumen print method. The image captures a quiet street scene; rows of houses line the street with trees planted at regular intervals. Oosterhuis’s Amsterdam was a city undergoing significant transformation, influenced by industrialization, urbanization, and shifting social structures. Photography emerged as a powerful tool for documenting and interpreting these changes. Stereographs, like this one, were popular for offering a vivid, almost three-dimensional view, aligning with the growing interest in realism and scientific observation. Consider how Oosterhuis positions the viewer. We are placed at a distance, observing a neat, orderly street. The architecture suggests a certain level of affluence and social order. But who inhabited these spaces? What stories do these silent buildings hold? The absence of people invites contemplation on the lived experiences of those who occupied this space.