Groepsportret in het atelier van Hendrik Herman van den Berg before 1894

Hendrik Herman van den Berg made this gelatin silver print, which depicts a group portrait inside his studio. The photograph's material qualities are key to its impact. The gelatin silver process, popular at the time, involved coating paper with a light-sensitive emulsion of silver halides in gelatin. The resulting image is characterized by its fine detail and tonal range, qualities readily apparent here. Consider how this image was produced. The labor involved in photography at the time encompassed both the photographer's artistic vision and the skilled work of preparing and processing the materials. The studio setting, complete with props like a tennis racket and woven basket, speaks to the social context in which this photograph was made. It reflects the artist's world, his relationships, and the leisure activities of the time. By recognizing the material and social conditions of its creation, we can appreciate the image as more than just a record of likenesses.