34. Artistical Groups in Various Poses 1840 - 1850

Calvert Richard Jones created this salt print photograph, titled 'Artistical Groups in Various Poses,' likely sometime in the 1840s. Salt printing was an early photographic process. It involved coating paper with a solution of salt and then silver nitrate, creating a surface sensitive to light. When exposed to light through a negative, the paper darkened, revealing the image. The resulting print has a soft, warm tone, and a slightly grainy texture. The process renders an image that feels almost like a drawing. In this case, the sitters would have had to remain still for a long period of time, in direct sunlight. It was laborious, and it was expensive. So this image is more than a casual snapshot of a group of friends. It's a testament to the time and resources necessary to produce a photographic image at the time. Looking at the image through a material lens reminds us that what we often consider to be a straightforward representation of reality is always the product of specific technologies, skilled labor, and social contexts.