Gezicht op de gevel van het stadhuis van Middelburg before 1894

This print of the facade of Middelburg’s City Hall was made anonymously, and the process would have involved a camera obscura and a darkroom. Rather than traditional art materials, we have photosensitive paper, glass plate negatives, and chemical solutions. Photogravure prints like this one were made using an industrial process that converted a photograph into an etched printing plate. The original photograph would have been exposed onto a light-sensitive gelatin tissue, adhered to a copper plate, and then etched with acid. The depth of the etching controlled the amount of ink held in the plate. The stark monochrome aesthetic, with its subtle gradations of tone, is a direct consequence of this method. The clean precision of the lines speaks to the technical skill involved. But there's also a social dimension to this image. The City Hall was a site of labor, politics, and consumption, the central hub of the city's civic life. When we look at this image through the lens of materials, making, and context, we gain a richer appreciation of its social and cultural significance. It is so much more than just a picture.