Gezicht op de vallei van Saint-Nicolas before 1868

This photographic print of the Saint-Nicolas valley was made by Stephen Thompson, though the date of its making is unknown. Photography as a medium has always been entwined with technology and industrialization. The image here is not just a representation, but an artifact of a specific time and process. Think about the labor involved – from mining the silver used in the photographic emulsion, to the skilled work of the photographer in capturing and developing the image. The paper itself, likely mass-produced, speaks to the rise of industrial manufacturing and global trade networks. This photograph offers a picturesque view of nature, but it also speaks to a complex web of materials, processes, and human effort. It's a reminder that even seemingly simple images are deeply embedded in the social and economic realities of their time. By considering the making of this photograph, we can appreciate it not just as a pretty picture, but as a material object with its own story to tell.