Benjamin Brecknell Turner’s 1857 photograph of the Westermarkt was made using one of the earliest photographic techniques, and its long exposure erased every trace of movement. As a result, the city appears deserted, as it did during lockdown. This photograph and other rare historical cityscapes by Turner and his contemporaries were shown in the exhibition Turner, Silence in the City.
On May 18, 1857, the Englishman Benjamin Brecknell Turner arrived in Amsterdam to devote two weeks to creating a series of cityscapes. This remarkable initiative by the English photographer resulted in a unique series of photographs of 19th-century Amsterdam.
Photographing cityscapes was far from common at the time, especially in the large format Turner used. His series ultimately comprised sixteen photographs, with water as an important recurring element. Turner photographed Amsterdam as a city rising from the water, its image doubled in the canal.
The actual subject of the photograph above is the Westerkerk. Until 1858, however, it was hidden behind the Westerhal. When Turner captured the striking ensemble of the two buildings, it was already known that the dilapidated hall would disappear. The threat of demolition prompted several Amsterdam photographers to preserve the building before it was too late.
Paper negatives
Benjamin Brecknell Turner (1815–1894) made his Amsterdam photographs on paper negatives, known as calotypes, measuring 30 x 40 cm, which he printed on albumen paper. The technique produced beautiful, soft contours. In England, he was one of the most celebrated landscape photographers of his time. Over the years, the Amsterdam City Archives acquired several Turner photographs, including two from the series of sixteen negatives depicting 19th-century Amsterdam.
Fragile masterpieces such as these rarely leave the safety of the City Archives’ repository. The exhibition offered a unique opportunity to see the mysterious beauty and chiaroscuro of Turner’s masterpiece. His “photographic tour” was connected to the 21st century through a 2003 video work by British artist Christopher Meigh-Andrews.
More information was available from the Amsterdam City Archives.
