Gezicht op de voormalige stallen van de Abdij te Middelburg, 1899 after 1900

This photograph of the former stables of the Abbey at Middelburg was made by the brothers Van Straaten in 1899. It’s a gelatin silver print, a process that really came into its own in the late 19th century. What I find interesting is how this technology democratized image-making, making photography accessible to a much wider group of people. Prior to the advent of photography, it was only the wealthy that could afford portraiture. Here, the process is front and center, informing what we see: the tonality, the granularity, the ability to capture incredible detail, the light and shadows. Photography allowed people to capture images of their world, and to see and share those images more widely than ever before. It made visual culture portable, more ephemeral, and more intimately connected to the everyday. And, crucially, less costly than commissioning a painting. It put the means of production into more hands.