Fotoalbum met cartes-de-visite van een Zeeuwse familie c. 1850 - 1875

This photo album, now in the Rijksmuseum, was made for a family in Zeeland, probably sometime in the mid-19th century. It's made of tooled leather, brass, paper, and photographic prints. What's really interesting is the way that this album combines the relatively new technology of photography with much older traditions of craft. Look at the cover, which is elaborately decorated with stamped and embossed leatherwork. This kind of bookbinding had been around for centuries. But here, it's being used to frame and contain a new kind of image, one that’s mechanically reproduced. The album format itself speaks to the rise of a new middle class, with the financial means to commission portraits of themselves and their loved ones. The creation of these family heirlooms speaks to the growth of consumer culture, and the way that craft traditions were being adapted to new markets. This invites us to consider how technologies of production are intertwined with human creativity and personal expression.