Talbot's Tower, Falaise Castle 1856

Alfred Capel Cure made this photograph, Talbot’s Tower, Falaise Castle, sometime in the mid-19th century, using the collodion process. This technique involves coating a glass plate with a light-sensitive chemical emulsion. The resulting negative could then be used to make multiple prints on paper. What’s fascinating here is the collision of an ancient subject – a medieval castle, built by hand with stone – with this new technology. The collodion process was still quite laborious. It required the photographer to be skilled not only in the darkroom, but also as a chemist. This is a far cry from the ‘point and shoot’ ease of modern digital photography. It required patience, practice and a good understanding of materials. Considering the amount of work involved, we can see photography in this period as a craft in its own right. This image encourages us to appreciate the labor and material understanding that goes into all forms of making.