Jong stel, de vrouw met hoed met veren, op een bankje in een park, de man die haar begluurde wordt door de andere man met zijn wandelstok geslagen, , fotoverhaal 4 1899

This photographic print, made by Gerardus Aalbersberg, captures a staged scene of social drama. Photography in this period involved a delicate dance of chemistry and optics, with the final image emerging from a series of carefully controlled processes. Light-sensitive materials, precise timing, and a keen understanding of chemical reactions were essential to the craft. The sepia tone, a signature of early photographic processes, speaks to the alchemical nature of the medium. This sepia image also captures a moment of social tension, class dynamics, and gender relations in the late 19th or early 20th century. Note the figures and their attire, suggesting a narrative about status and the policing of social boundaries. Photography then, as now, was both a medium for art and a mirror reflecting the values and tensions of its time. The print challenges distinctions between art and craft, demonstrating the power of material and making to convey social meaning.