Portret van een vrouw, staand bij een stoel 1867 - 1872

This is a photograph by Jean Baptiste Durdik, a portrait of a woman standing by a chair. The photograph would have been made using a wet collodion process, a laborious practice where a glass plate is coated, sensitized, exposed and developed, all before the plate dries. It was an advancement on earlier photographic methods, allowing for shorter exposure times, but still a far cry from the speed of modern photography. Consider the labour involved, from the photographer preparing the plates and developing the image, to the sitter, likely holding a pose for several seconds. There’s also the labour of producing the sitter’s dress, with all its ruffles, and the carved chair she is leaning on. This was a time when portraiture was becoming more accessible but remained a considered and somewhat formal affair. Understanding the technical and social context of such an image allows us to appreciate it as more than just a picture. It’s a record of a specific moment in time, shaped by technology, labour, and social conventions.