Gezicht op High Street in Glasgow 1868 - 1877

Curator: This photograph, "Gezicht op High Street in Glasgow" by Thomas Annan, rendered using the gelatin-silver process between 1868 and 1877, presents a fascinating urban landscape. Editor: Yes, it is beautiful, capturing a quiet moment on what must have been a very busy street. What can we interpret from the image's method of production, its materiality? Curator: Notice the gelatin-silver print. It wasn't just about capturing a scene; it was about a specific chemical process transforming materials – silver, gelatin – to record light and shadow. This process itself has a history tied to industrial advancements and the commodification of image-making. How does that context shift your understanding of the photograph? Editor: I see what you mean. Knowing it's a gelatin-silver print makes me think about the labor involved, from the preparation of the photographic materials to the printing process itself. The image captures the street, but it is a document reflecting on 19th-century labor. Curator: Precisely! It encourages us to look beyond the surface aesthetics and consider the material conditions that made this image possible. Who had access to this technology? Who benefitted from its distribution? It raises questions about class and representation within Glasgow's rapidly industrializing society. How does the photograph itself serve as a commodity in this setting? Editor: I hadn’t considered that, but now that you point it out, I am interested in knowing who was behind making such detailed prints accessible, and if there are other ways the use of photography impacted society's development. Curator: Exactly! Reflecting on its process can make us reconsider who are photography's protagonists and who benefits from mass production, offering insight on how they shape not only our world but also our vision of the world. Editor: I now better understand that "Gezicht op High Street in Glasgow" provides social insights related to material practices. Curator: Indeed, and it is not simply a pretty image.