Portret van Margo Kessler de Lange en baby An Possibly 1884

This photograph of Margo Kessler de Lange and baby An was produced by Woodbury & Page using the albumen print process. The albumen print, popular in the late 19th century, involved coating paper with egg white and silver nitrate, creating a surface highly sensitive to light. This process allowed for incredibly detailed images, but required careful handling and expertise. The rich sepia tones we see here are characteristic of albumen prints, a result of the silver particles reacting during development. Consider the labour involved: from preparing the paper to carefully posing the subjects and controlling the exposure time. Each print was a unique object, a testament to both the photographer's skill and the sitter's social standing. The rise of photography democratized portraiture, yet the process itself remained steeped in material knowledge and craft. It's a fascinating intersection of science, art, and social history, captured in a single image.