Portret van Loo Ootmarsum jr. in een boot before 1908

Willem Ganter made this photograph of Loo Ootmarsum Jr. using the wet collodion process, a popular method in the late 19th century. The process involved coating a glass plate with light-sensitive chemicals, exposing it in a large format camera, and developing it immediately. The resulting image, a glass negative, had incredible detail, visible in the intricate textures of the boy’s clothing and the miniature sailboat. This painstaking process was far removed from today’s point-and-shoot photography. In the studio, posing would be everything. The tonal range captured on the glass plate gives this photograph a distinctive material presence and sepia tonality. The photograph’s surface has a delicate sheen, reflecting the light and adding depth. The labor involved in this photographic method contrasts with the ease of modern digital imaging. Appreciating the craft and materiality behind this image allows us to see photography not just as a means of capturing reality, but also as a rich and complex art form.