[Sir Charles Barry] 1860s

This photographic portrait of Sir Charles Barry was made by John and Charles Watkins using the wet collodion process, a technique that revolutionized photography in the mid-19th century. The process involved coating a glass plate with a light-sensitive emulsion, exposing it in the camera while still wet, and then developing it immediately. This method democratized image-making, reducing the time and cost associated with earlier photographic processes. The soft tonal range and slight blurring visible here are characteristic of the wet collodion’s unique aesthetic. The rise of photography coincided with the expansion of industrial capitalism, offering a new means of documenting and circulating images of individuals. By making portraits more accessible, photography flattened hierarchies, allowing a wider range of people to participate in visual culture. In this way, this photograph is both an artwork and a document of its time, reflecting broader shifts in labor, class, and consumption.