Gezicht op een vrouw en een man aan een zaagtafel in Zwitserland before 1896

This photograph, titled "Gezicht op een vrouw en een man aan een zaagtafel in Zwitserland", was taken by Frédéric Boissonnas. The image captures a slice of life, a moment of labor frozen in time, immortalized through the wet collodion process. The figures, a man and a woman, are engaged in sawing wood at a trestle table. The texture of the rough-hewn timber contrasts sharply with the relative smoothness of the sawn planks. We can see the amount of physical labor involved, the repetitive motion of the saw, and the division of labor between the two figures. The logs scattered on the ground, the rustic cabin nearby, all speak to the materiality of rural life. Boissonnas was a master of capturing light and shadow, the photograph acting as a social document, revealing the dignity and harsh realities of manual work. The choice of black and white adds to the timeless quality of the image, emphasizing the importance of material and making in understanding its full meaning. It reminds us that even the simplest of tasks, like sawing wood, has a history, a context, and a value that goes beyond its immediate function.