Fotoalbum met 46 foto's (Nederlands) 1873

Curator: This is a photograph album from 1873, attributed to L.J. Hartkamp, here in the Rijksmuseum. It includes 46 photographs and utilizes a mixed-media approach, predominantly albumen prints. Editor: It’s remarkably self-contained. The clasped album exudes an air of privacy, promising glimpses into lives carefully curated. The tooled geometric design almost feels like a fortified gate around something very intimate. Curator: The geometric pattern certainly evokes protection, doesn't it? We see such decorative motifs in devotional objects too, this implies the safeguarding of memory as something precious, almost sacred. These were the days before easily snapped photographs; a formal portrait was often a major event. Editor: Exactly. The decorative arts elevated everyday life in the late 19th century, especially for the growing bourgeoisie. Having one's portrait taken, meticulously documenting family milestones - it's a performative act of cementing social standing and idealized narratives, quite separated from many people's day-to-day lives. I am sure the owners used such images to construct an archive that favored a particular image, obscuring the messier realities of existence. Curator: An interesting idea, that such curated memories are concealing alternative realities. However, isn’t this also an act of self-definition? The subjects get to choose who they are and what they consider their legacy. The symbols and carefully considered arrangements mirror how we are all creators of ourselves. Editor: Well, as records and artifacts, old photographs inevitably expose power dynamics, in this instance through class, and who had the power to archive and leave records. But it also hints at the constraints and unspoken tensions within that particular world. I'd want to examine its contents. Who were these individuals and why did they want to remember them? Curator: The act of remembrance is precisely what resonates. This album transcends mere functionality; it embodies the human longing to preserve and honor the past, shaping our understanding of the present. The patterns serve as mnemonic devices, gateways to remembering those moments with their subjects, triggering shared emotional and symbolic responses. Editor: True, and perhaps we are still doing very similar things when we arrange photographs on our devices or socials, thinking carefully how we appear for our posterity. Thanks for sharing the album’s image, its outer and inner symbolism is much for us to consider.