Graf van Louis Daguerre op de begraafplaats te Bry-sur-Marne before 1905

This monochrome photograph shows the tomb of Louis Daguerre, taken by Demaria. I imagine Demaria, lugging their equipment through the graveyard, setting up the shot, fiddling with the focus. Did they feel reverence? A sense of connection to the history of photography? There’s a formality to the scene, the wrought iron fence feels like a stage, separating us from the monument itself. But also, the photo is in a book, opened to a spread, so we have two realities at once. I wonder if Demaria knew that their photo would end up here. The way one photograph contains another, as it is here, reminds me that artists are always in conversation with the past, with other artists and ways of seeing. It is a conversation across time, inspiring creativity in an ongoing exchange of ideas.