Portret van de schilder Edouard Moerenhout 1866

This photograph of the painter Edouard Moerenhout was made by Stalins & Janssens, though the exact date is unknown. It is printed on paper, a relatively new, mass-produced material at that time. Photography in this era involved a complex combination of chemistry, optics, and labor. The final product’s sepia tone results from chemical processes used to develop the image. Paper was treated with light-sensitive compounds, exposed through a lens, then carefully developed in a darkroom. The photographer also had to pose the sitter and carefully control lighting to achieve the desired composition. Photographs like this democratized portraiture, providing access to a form of representation previously available only to the wealthy who could afford to commission painted portraits. While photography is not necessarily considered a traditional "craft," its reliance on specific chemical processes and technical skill, alongside its connection to commercial production, underscores the artificial divide between art, craft, and industry.