Landscape near Williams College c. 1870

This oval photograph, "Landscape near Williams College," was captured by George K. Warren. It's a scene rendered through the subtle artistry of photographic chemistry. Warren’s image would have involved coating a glass plate with light-sensitive emulsion, exposing it in the camera, and then developing the latent image. A slow and exacting process, far removed from the immediacy of digital photography. Note the limited tonal range, the soft focus, and the way the light catches the leaves and the small stream. These are characteristics of the process itself, not just of the scene that Warren chose to depict. Photography in this era was about more than just recording; it was about aesthetic choices made in the darkroom. This approach elevates the craft of image-making, reminding us that all art is born of specific materials and painstaking processes. It urges us to look closer, beyond the mere subject, to appreciate the hands-on work that shaped the image.