Panden op de Oudegracht te Utrecht 1911

This photograph of buildings on the Oudegracht in Utrecht, made by an anonymous photographer, probably with a large format camera, captures a moment frozen in time. I try to imagine the setup, the long exposure. This feels like a painting because it's so muted, so quiet. I think about those tall, narrow buildings and the story that they hold, the lives lived within their walls. I think about the photographer, maybe part of a larger survey to document the city. The light is flat, which makes everything feel timeless. The bare tree reaching into the sky, the signs for businesses at street level. It's like a stage set, waiting for the actors to arrive. I see a connection to other documentary photographers, like Eugène Atget, who also recorded the look and feel of a city. It's all part of an ongoing conversation, across time and place, each image a new way of seeing and feeling.