[Nude] 1849 - 1853

Editor: This is an untitled nude photograph by Eugène Durieu, created sometime between 1849 and 1853. It’s a gelatin silver print on paper. It strikes me how the tones of the nude figure seem almost echoed in the aged, stained paper itself. What’s your perspective on this work? Curator: The paper is incredibly significant here. This is more than just an image *on* paper; the paper itself becomes an active part of the work. Consider the process: a chemical transformation, an almost alchemical interaction between light, silver, and the very structure of the paper fibers. The image isn't just *on* the material, it *is* of it, fused within its very constitution, marking the beginning of machine-based photography, yet relying on human ingenuity to make art. Editor: That makes sense. I hadn’t thought about how fundamental the materiality of photography is. But the image is still important. It’s interesting, because while there is that hint of classical romanticism from the pose, the focus on the making suggests that is secondary. Curator: Exactly. It challenges us to look beyond conventional readings of the nude. Who was the model? What was her labor involved? Was she paid? And the choice to photograph it. It pushes our thinking past the image and into the making and the reception, beyond the artistic and into economics and historical consumption, of how this gelatin silver print could also speak of the complex economic systems that facilitate it. Do you see any connections? Editor: The photographic process requires skilled labor for its execution. Thinking about it like this really underscores the economic side of making art. It isn't just about this idealized view but about people making objects, the context in which this piece was produced. Thanks, this changed how I will think about photography! Curator: My pleasure, the way to start deconstructing the social contexts through material history of photographic arts, is through these questions.