Paard voor een wagen, Parijs 1911

This photograph, "Paard voor een wagen, Parijs", was made by Alfred Stieglitz, using gelatin silver print. Stieglitz, like other photographers in his circle, elevated photography through the laborious process of hand-developing prints. The gelatin silver process, involving coating paper with light-sensitive emulsion, demands careful control of variables like exposure time, temperature, and chemical concentrations. The tonal range achieved speaks to Stieglitz’s mastery of this craft. This wasn’t a quick snapshot. This was the result of darkroom expertise. Consider the social context, too. Stieglitz often chose subjects from everyday life, here a working horse in Paris, connecting his art to the realities of labor and urban existence. By emphasizing the hand-made quality of his prints, Stieglitz elevated photography to the status of fine art, a testament to the value of craft in a rapidly industrializing world.