Portaal van de kathedraal van Bourges 1870 - 1890

Editor: So this photograph, "Portaal van de kathedraal van Bourges," was captured by Médéric Mieusement sometime between 1870 and 1890, and is held at the Rijksmuseum. It’s quite a striking image, a gothic doorway rendered in monochrome. What elements stand out to you? Curator: The image itself is interesting. Consider the labor and resources necessary to produce it, particularly the chemical processes required for photography at this time. Think about the accessibility of photography, and the cultural assumptions baked into this particular subject, the gothic portal. This architectural form, originating in medieval Europe, suggests to me a kind of return to that era of material production through a more modern mode. Editor: So, you’re seeing a conversation between the materials and labor of the Gothic period with that of the late 19th century? Curator: Precisely. Note how Mieusement frames this imposing doorway. He isn’t simply documenting its design, but capturing it through a particular technological lens, reflecting the material conditions of his own era. Consider the social function of the gothic cathedral – and then consider the social function of early photography and image distribution. How might one relate to the other? Editor: It’s fascinating to consider the photograph itself as a material object, shaped by its own time. It almost flattens the cathedral portal to mere document, ironically. Curator: It does, in a way. The image’s value as art comes, partly, from our knowledge that it is depicting great design made by masters, of course. Editor: So the context, the cultural setting, are what truly allows one to explore the means and social position this photograph carries out? Curator: It becomes much easier. This opens a whole range of further interpretations. It also emphasizes the act of choosing to represent this subject through this medium during that period. Editor: This makes me rethink the power relations involved. Thanks for illuminating the materiality of both the subject and the photography.