Jongen met een paard voor een huis (vermoedelijk) te Den Haag c. 1890 - 1910

This photograph, possibly taken in The Hague, was made by Wilhelm Frederick Antonius Delboy. Captured on a rectangular plate, this albumen print gives us a sepia-toned glimpse into the past. The inherent qualities of the albumen – its texture, weight, and color – all contribute to the image's overall appearance. To make it, the artist would have coated paper with a solution of egg white and silver nitrate, then exposed it to light through a negative. This process, while reliant on chemical reactions, also required a skilled hand in preparing the materials and controlling the exposure time. Photography in the 19th century was also a burgeoning industry, and this form of image-making offered a new kind of labor, tied to the wider social issues of representation and consumption. By understanding the materials, making, and context of this photograph, we can appreciate how it challenges traditional distinctions between art and craft.