Twee honden, genaamd Zeppelin en Toy, in een tuin en Fik en Suze Paut in een roeiboot 1912 - 1913

This is a series of photographs by Carolina Frederika Onnen, likely taken sometime in the early to mid-20th century. Given that these photographs are mounted in an album, and appear to be of the artist's friends and pets, it's reasonable to suggest they are gelatin silver prints, a popular photographic process at the time. Gelatin silver prints emerged as an advancement in photographic technology, and they have a distinct aesthetic quality. The tonal range and clarity of the image are really down to the chemical interactions on the paper's surface during development. Looking at these photographs, the sepia tone we see now is partly a result of age and oxidation, but also speaks to the common aesthetic of early photography, which often valued warmth and depth. These photographs were likely contact printed, a process that requires direct physical contact between the negative and the paper. As such, the act of photography and printing was pretty labor intensive, more craft than fully automated industrial production. Through this intimate act of making, Onnen's photographs captured a sense of time, place, and personal connection. They remind us to think about photography not just as a documentary medium, but a craft practice.