Landschap, vermoedelijk in Zwitserland before 1898

Editor: We’re looking at a photograph called "Landschap, vermoedelijk in Zwitserland," or "Landscape, Probably in Switzerland." It’s by D. Lenoir, made before 1898, and appears as part of a book. The image itself seems fairly unassuming; the focus feels like the somewhat gnarled, barren-looking trees in the foreground, leading towards… maybe mountains in the distance? What strikes you about this work? Curator: Oh, darling, doesn’t it just whisper of forgotten stories and whispered secrets? For me, it is more about what's *implied* by the starkness and the aging page—the landscape receding almost shyly. I see Switzerland, sure, but also a past where photography was as much about feeling as it was about documenting. And the journal page itself. Do you think it enhances or detracts from the image itself? Editor: That’s an interesting question! I’m torn. I think seeing the text alongside the photo definitely adds a historical context and gives it more character, but it also distracts a bit from the image itself, making it harder to focus on the landscape. Curator: Exactly! It is both a frame *and* a mirror, right? One wonders what these photographers knew then; one even questions the validity, because to my knowledge early photographers enhanced or outright changed details within their frame. Is it more "real" now than the same location in real life? Or has it always felt like we look "back" at ourselves *through* photographs...almost superimposed like. Hmmm. But if only the journals could be truly experienced, hmm. Editor: That's really fascinating, that photos might even be more 'real' than life. It certainly puts a new perspective on landscape photography for me. Thanks! Curator: It all circles round! One can even see new growth here - perhaps what old ghosts grow anew from! Now what to have for tea?