La torre del Oro, Sevilla, Spanje c. 1850 - 1900

Juan Laurent made this photograph of the Torre del Oro in Seville, Spain, sometime in the mid-19th century, with the aid of a camera and a set of darkroom chemicals. The image itself is remarkable for its detail. The stone of the tower appears weathered and worn, and we can clearly see the texture of the surrounding buildings and landscape. But consider the labor involved in making it. Not just Laurent’s, who would have had to haul his equipment around, prepare the glass plate negative, and carefully develop the print. But also that of the workers who built the tower, probably centuries before the photograph was taken. Consider that this image, like all photographs, captures not just a visual likeness, but also the accumulated history of human effort. The relationship between photography and labor is central to understanding its cultural significance, challenging our modern perspective on art history.