Interieur van de Hervormde Kerk te Monster na de brand 1901

This anonymous photo, taken in Monster, shows the interior of the Reformed Church after the fire. It's like looking at a painting where the subject is absence. I imagine the photographer setting up their equipment amidst the rubble, trying to capture what's left. Did they feel a sense of loss, or a determination to document and rebuild? The sepia tones give it a timeless quality, like a memory fading at the edges. I'm reminded of Piranesi's etchings of Roman ruins – a fascination with the grandeur and decay. The arches still standing, reaching towards where the roof used to be, that gesture speaks volumes about resilience. Photography, like painting, is an act of framing and interpreting. It's about seeing what others might miss.