Earl Granville before 1882

This photograph of Earl Granville comes from a book produced by Lock & Whitfield. The image itself is an albumen print, a process that was popular in the mid-19th century. What I find fascinating is the industrialization of portraiture that this image represents. Photography, unlike painting, allowed for relatively quick and inexpensive replication. The albumen process, involving coating paper with egg whites and silver nitrate, was central to this. It allowed for sharp, detailed images that could be mass-produced. This wasn't about unique artistic expression, but about documentation and dissemination. It speaks to the rise of a celebrity culture and the democratization of images. Instead of handmade art objects crafted with artistry and care, we see pictures mass produced in factories. The image, in a way, foreshadows our contemporary world of mass media.