Portret van een onbekend meisje in boot aan de Seine 1893 - 1898

This photograph of an unknown girl in a boat on the Seine was taken in August 1893, by Raimond Coulon. It's a silver gelatin print, a process that was by then well-established, but still required considerable skill in the darkroom. What strikes me most is the material quality of this image; the way the light catches on the water and reflects in the girl’s eyes, the grainy texture of the pebbles on the shore, the worn wooden planks of the boat. These are not just details, they speak to the broader social context of the time. Photography was becoming more accessible, but it still involved a lot of labor, from preparing the chemicals to meticulously printing the image. This photograph isn't just a record, but a product of its time, reflecting the intersection of art, craft, and the burgeoning age of mass production. By paying attention to the materiality and making of this photograph, we gain a richer understanding of its cultural significance.