Graf van John Keble en zijn vrouw before 1866

William Savage made this print of the Grave of John Keble and his wife, employing the relatively new technology of photography. The sepia tone and the sharp details were achieved through a meticulous process that would have involved coating a glass plate with light-sensitive chemicals, exposing it in a camera, and then developing it to create a negative. This negative was then used to create the print we see here. Consider the labor involved: from the preparation of the photographic materials to the precise timing of the exposure and the careful development of the image. Each step required skill and attention. The result is a durable and reproducible image, far removed from the unique, hand-crafted nature of earlier printmaking techniques. This photograph embodies a shift towards mass production and consumption of images, a key aspect of the industrial era. It invites us to reflect on the changing relationship between art, labor, and technology.