Interieur van de Santissima Annunziata te Genua, Italië 1858 - 1893

Alfredo Noack made this photograph of the Santissima Annunziata in Genoa using the collodion process. It was a cutting-edge photographic technology at the time. The collodion process required the photographer to coat a glass plate with a sticky, light-sensitive chemical, expose it in the camera, and then develop it, all before the coating dried. Because of this, photographers had to carry portable darkrooms with them. The process imbued the image with a soft, almost ethereal quality. The photograph emphasizes the grandeur and scale of the church's architecture. It captures a wealth of detail, from the ornate carvings on the columns to the frescoes on the ceiling. This was a laborious process. The image invites us to reflect on the intersection of technology, artistry, and labor in the 19th century. It underscores the value of craft in our appreciation of fine art.