Portret van een onbekende vrouw

This is a photograph of an unknown woman, made by Samson & Co. Sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. The photographic process was a complex combination of chemistry and optics. In its early days, it was truly seen as miraculous. Here, we see the result of that process: a study in tones from almost-white to deep brown. It is important to remember that the making of photographs like this involved a great deal of handwork. The sensitive glass plates had to be prepared with light-sensitive emulsion, and the prints developed and toned in the darkroom. This was skilled work, but it was also thoroughly industrialized. The photographer would have carefully posed the sitter, and directed the lighting of the scene. The result is more than just a document of an individual, but also of a specific cultural moment, as it captures social status and aspiration. Photography, from its inception, blurred the lines between art and craft, between individual expression and industrial production. And this tension remains at the heart of its ongoing fascination.