Have you ever wondered what a metropolis such as London must have been like without highways and skyscrapers? No cars, but horse carriages dominating the Parisian cityscape? Or having a magic lantern instead of a TV for home entertainment?
At first glance, the Europe before World War II seems quite unlike the one we know today. But perhaps it wasn’t that different after all: people’s everyday joys and sorrows, stories and dreams turn out strikingly similar to ours.
From February 1 to March 15, 2015, in Campus Library Arenberg - Heverlee and Tweebronnen Library - Leuven (BE), EuropeanaPhotography will proudly present the second instance of its exhibition All our yesterdays. Life through the lens of Europe’s first photographers (1839-1939).
With the camera as a time machine - framing the present, documenting the past and showing a glimpse of the future - men (and women!) have, throughout the history of photography, captured their world from its most beautiful angles as well as its darkest side. To re-build these stories through a kaleidoscope of early photographic masterpieces, a collection has been compiled from the holdings of 18 archives. These exquisite - and often unseen - images of a world in change, showcase the mastery and art of the world’s very first photographers.
While, for the greater part, this exhibition will re-produce the first run of All Our Yesterdays (Pisa, April 2014), its Belgian flavor will be enhanced by including photographs from the Leuven City Archives.
At the Heverlee site, traces of local citizens’ “Yesterdays” will figure side by side to those of their international counterparts, as a new but integrated part of the original All Our Yesterdays-setup.
In Leuven’s city center, the public library will host an additional exhibition chapter, dedicated to Trading Spaces / Changing Places: how have the city and its rural surroundings interacted throughout the years and what remains of this? Which century-old street views are bound to draw up a stir when compared to today’s cityscape? And in how far or by what means have people tried to adapt their living environment to something more comfortable or more agreeable to the eye…? From lost landscapes to stunning portraits and fascinating shots-in-action, Trading Spaces / Changing Places seizes the most compelling images from Leuven’s past, to make for a powerful injection into the present-day city dynamics.
Take a look at our Gallery for a preview of the exhibition!
The exhibition was inaugurated at the EuropeanaPhotography Final Conference.
With the camera as a time machine - framing the present, documenting the past and showing a glimpse of the future - men (and women!) have, throughout the history of photography, captured their world from its most beautiful angles as well as its darkest side. To re-build these stories through a kaleidoscope of early photographic masterpieces, a collection has been compiled from the holdings of 18 archives. These exquisite - and often unseen - images of a world in change, showcase the mastery and art of the world’s very first photographers.
While, for the greater part, this exhibition will re-produce the first run of All Our Yesterdays (Pisa, April 2014), its Belgian flavor will be enhanced by including photographs from the Leuven City Archives.
At the Heverlee site, traces of local citizens’ “Yesterdays” will figure side by side to those of their international counterparts, as a new but integrated part of the original All Our Yesterdays-setup.
In Leuven’s city center, the public library will host an additional exhibition chapter, dedicated to Trading Spaces / Changing Places: how have the city and its rural surroundings interacted throughout the years and what remains of this? Which century-old street views are bound to draw up a stir when compared to today’s cityscape? And in how far or by what means have people tried to adapt their living environment to something more comfortable or more agreeable to the eye…? From lost landscapes to stunning portraits and fascinating shots-in-action, Trading Spaces / Changing Places seizes the most compelling images from Leuven’s past, to make for a powerful injection into the present-day city dynamics.
Take a look at our Gallery for a preview of the exhibition!
The exhibition was inaugurated at the EuropeanaPhotography Final Conference.