48. On the Road to Andermatt, Switzerland - 18 Sept 1900 | Glass Plates
Glass plate 48 was taken on the road to Andermatt. In the photograph is a gentleman resting on a rock, gazing down on the foaming Reuss river.
As this road has been significantly modernised, with covered roadways to protect traffic from falling rocks, it is difficult to identify the precise spot where it was taken. Nevertheless, by the bridge in the background it appears to be downstream of the Reussbrücke, a bridge just outside Göschenen.
If Confirmation Were Needed
I mentioned in previous posts the recurring figure of a grey-bearded gentleman with a flap cap. Well, here he is again. It is my belief that this gentleman – appearing is glass plate 5, 24, 42, and now 48 – is the same in appearance, build, and headwear. As such, it is safe to conclude that he is either a travelling companion of the photographer, or the photographer himself; if it is the second possibility then he must have given the task of exposing the photo to someone else.
Glass Plate 4
Who would this someone else be? The answer to this may have been with us since near the start, as another man was glimpsed similarly posed beside the gate at Hougoumont in glass plate 4, but never appeared again. The reason this figure stands out is that these two Hougoumont photos are the only ones taken on the same spot with little deviation. As these glass plates are a limited resource, it seems odd that two would have been used to photograph one location from the same angle, even if it is the famed north-gate of Hougoumont. This leaves us with the conclusion that the men in the photo were significant to those with the camera.
Therefore, I speculate that this tour through western Europe was undertaken by the two men seen in glass plate 4 and 5, and that one of these must be the photographer who later listed and stored the plates so diligently.
A Moment of Gratitude
To finish up this week, I would like to once again thank my father, who rescued these glass plates from the rubbish tip before they were lost forever; Aleksandar Nenad Zecevic, who is working on restoring these photos digitally and will be joining me while following the route laid out by the list of glass plates; and finally, thank you to all who have followed this journey thus far.
Only two more photographs left.
1900 Glass Plates: This project explores a series of glass plates from the year 1900 with the eventual goal of travelling the same route as the photographer. It will be a varied journey that will stretch from simple blog posts examining each photo to videos and more. This project is in collaboration with photographer Aleksandar Nenad Zecevic, who’ll be restoring the photographs to bring out details dimmed by time. More to follow.
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