Groepsportret van een Chinees gezin met bedienden 1858 - 1862

This stereoscopic photograph of a Chinese family with servants was made by Pierre Joseph Rossier, one of photography's early practitioners. It utilizes a process that was cutting-edge for its time. Photography was truly a revolutionary medium, changing the way images were created and disseminated. Note the inherent qualities of the photographic print: the sepia tone, the flatness of the subjects, and the amount of light and shadow that can be captured. Photography involved a combination of technical expertise and artistic vision, making it a hybrid art form. This print was one of many made for commercial sale, and the relatively small size made it widely available, leading to photography's broad cultural impact. Consider how this contrasts with unique, handmade art objects. Photography democratized image-making, moving it away from elite craft traditions and into a realm of mass production and consumption, irrevocably changing our relationship to images and representation.