Boer, boerin en koeien voor een boerderij before 1888

This photograph, "Boer, boerin en koeien voor een boerderij," by the Detaille Frères, offers a glimpse into rural life through the lens of early photography. The choice of photography as a medium is significant. Unlike painting, which requires extensive artistic skill and time, photography democratized image-making. Early photographic processes like the one used here involved a complex interplay of chemistry and optics. Light-sensitive materials captured the scene, rendering the textures of the farmhouse, the figures of the farmer and his wife, and the livestock. The photograph's social significance lies in its depiction of labor. The detailed rendering of everyday life, from the farmer tending to his cows to the architecture of the farm, provides a window into the routines and rhythms of agricultural labor. Photography in this context serves as a tool for documentation. It shows that these records of life can be viewed, not only as historical documents, but also as works of art.