Huis te Nijswiller 1890

Curator: This image shows the "Huis te Nijswiller," taken around 1890 by an anonymous photographer working for Monumentenzorg, the Dutch heritage organization. Editor: It's strikingly simple, isn't it? The triangular roof dominates, softened by that shaggy thatch, while the white-rendered walls are accented by these intriguing, decorative timbers. Curator: Yes, this photograph documents a style of vernacular architecture that was under threat, I believe. The rise of industrial building techniques at the time altered how the Dutch viewed their history and national identity. Buildings like these needed to be preserved as artifacts of a rural past. Editor: I see that, the careful rendering does evoke a certain idealized rural life, but also something of a tension between precision and irregularity; a calculated chaos in how it is constructed. How do we decode that? Curator: Perhaps it highlights the move towards modernization? Even as we document, archive, and study the past, society is on an ever-increasing path toward what we understand today as ‘the modern.' Editor: Absolutely, one wonders how those rural occupants experienced life with so little natural light or air, especially when we reflect on what these buildings can tell us about how we prioritize comfort in modernity. Curator: It certainly gives food for thought; capturing buildings through photography allows a different form of preservation – it invites others to find stories. Editor: True, what we have learned from its formal aspects combined with some historic details adds many layers to understanding our present moment.