Isabel Wachenheimer met onbekende kinderen op een kinderfeestje in een tuin 1932 - 1934

This photograph of children was created by an anonymous artist, using a gelatin silver process. It’s an intimate image, showing a group of girls forming a ring in a garden. Photography, born in the 19th century, democratized image-making. It shifted artistic skill from the hand to the lens, and made image production more available to the masses. The gelatin silver print method, standardized by the 1880’s, became the dominant process for black and white photography. It was easy to mass produce, and soon became ubiquitous. The scene captured here—a children’s party—is a typical photographic subject, preserved thanks to this accessible and repeatable technology. The material and process of photography are tightly bound to its social context; recording moments in time that reflect everyday life. Considering the processes and conditions through which images like this are made helps us to understand their value, inviting us to question traditional notions of art and skill.