Huizen aan de kust bij Dinard 1880 - 1900

Editor: So, this sepia-toned photograph is titled "Huizen aan de kust bij Dinard" - or, "Houses on the Coast near Dinard." It's attributed to Carl Norman & Co. and estimated to have been made sometime between 1880 and 1900. I’m struck by its stillness; it feels like a quiet moment captured on the French coast. What stands out to you? Curator: For me, it's the process. The labor involved in creating such a sharp image with the photographic technology of that era. Think about the heavy equipment, the darkroom processes. And look closer—consider the social implications here. Dinard was becoming a resort town, catering to a leisure class. Photography itself became part of the tourist industry. How might this image reflect class and labor divisions of the time? Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't fully considered. I was mostly drawn to the aesthetic quality, but thinking about the materiality shifts the reading. Curator: Exactly. It becomes less about a pretty scene and more about how wealth and industry shape our view. Note the photographic paper: it seems like albumen print which means egg whites used to create this incredibly detailed image. How available would such material be to the everyday photographer? Was it locally sourced or part of international material supply chain? Editor: Fascinating! Seeing it as a product of specific material conditions, not just a depiction, totally changes my understanding. The perspective becomes more of an object rather than just scenery, and one available primarily to the upper class. Curator: Precisely. Reflecting on production methods reminds us to consider that a visual product can also function as commodity to be consumed. Editor: I see so many layers in this simple image now. Thanks for pointing them out!