Stroomversnellingen in de Nijl c. 1870 - 1898

This photograph, "Stroomversnellingen in de Nijl," or "Rapids in the Nile", was created by Maison Bonfils using the wet collodion process, a technique that dominated photography in the mid-19th century. Think about the labor involved: a portable darkroom would have been essential to prepare and develop the glass plate on site, before the chemicals dried. The resulting print has a distinctive tonal range and clarity, capturing the textures of the rocks and the movement of water. Maison Bonfils operated a commercial studio, producing countless images of the Middle East for European consumption. This image speaks to the era's fascination with faraway places, transformed into commodities for a growing tourist market. Consider the photographer's role: less an artist, more a skilled technician, responding to consumer demands for exotic scenes. By considering the material processes, we get a glimpse into the social and economic forces that shaped this seemingly straightforward landscape image, and the distinctions between art, craft, and industry begin to blur.