Gezicht op de Kimbombo eilanden before 1899

This photographic print of the Kimbombo Islands was produced by W. McM. Woodworth. As a mode of capturing the world, photography is inseparable from the history of industrialisation. Consider the chemistry involved: silver halide crystals, precisely manufactured and layered onto a substrate, ready to be exposed by the carefully calibrated mechanics of a camera. All of this driven by an economic imperative to see and understand the world with increasing precision. The albumen print, a process popular in the 19th century, is a particularly good example. To make one, a paper base would be coated with egg white and then sensitised with silver nitrate. When exposed to light through a negative, the image would slowly emerge. The labour that goes into preparing a single sheet of this photographic paper is striking. It serves as a reminder that even the most seemingly objective images are the product of intense material and human effort. So, when we look at this tranquil scene, let’s also reflect on the technologies that have made it visible to us.