Gezicht op het strand te Ampenan before 1897

This photograph of a beach in Ampenan was taken by Christiaan Johan Neeb, sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. The photographic process involves a complex relationship between mechanical precision and chemical transformation. The final image results from the impact of light upon treated surfaces. Light, itself, is a kind of raw material. Through a series of alchemical steps, it is harnessed by the photographer to create a record of place and time. In this instance, the monochrome palette and the texture of the print, now viewed many years later, add to the sense of a moment captured long ago. What was required to produce this image? The labor to source the materials, operate the camera, and develop the print, not to mention the labor of those who appear in the image, surely working at the port. Paying attention to materials and processes encourages us to look beyond the surface, and to consider the social and economic dimensions of image-making.