Exterieur van de gevangenis Le Stinche te Florence before 1890

Here is an anonymous photograph of the exterior of the Le Stinche prison in Florence. The image, likely a silver gelatin print, captures the forbidding architecture of the prison. But it is crucial to recognize that this image itself is a manufactured thing. In the days before digital photography, it would have been the result of a complex chemical process. Consider the labor that went into its making, from the mining of the silver used in the emulsion, to the darkroom work that brought the image to life. The photograph flattens the architecture into a two-dimensional plane. The stark contrast of light and shadow emphasizes the prison's imposing structure, but it also conceals the lived experiences within its walls. What we see is not the raw material of stone and mortar, but a carefully mediated representation. It is easy to forget the human element in the face of such a formidable institution, but this photograph reminds us that even the most imposing structures are the result of human labor and ingenuity. By attending to the material and processes of this image, we can gain a deeper understanding of its social and cultural significance.