Gebladerte c. 1865 - 1900

Laurens Lodewijk Kleijn made this photograph, titled ‘Gebladerte,’ using a glass negative. This material was a cutting-edge technology in its day, a key development in the history of photography. The glass plate’s surface is coated with light-sensitive chemicals, capturing a still image through a lens. Look closely at the details: the delicate rendering of light and shadow on the leaves, the textures of the foliage. The image is not just a representation of nature, but an indexical record of a specific time and place. In the 19th century, photography was as much a craft as it was a science. Photographers like Kleijn had to master complex chemical processes, understand the physics of light, and manipulate materials to achieve the desired result. There was also a certain amount of risk and experimentation involved. We can see the material of the negative itself in the image; parts are scratched, and there are other imperfections. By understanding the materials and processes behind this image, we recognize photography’s roots in the world of craft, and that it's not so divorced from artistic expression.