Gezicht op een rots in een kapel before 1878

Félix Bonfils captured this photograph in an unknown location, sometime between 1831 and 1885. It’s a modest albumen print, and its sepia tones evoke the warmth and texture of the chapel's very stones. This type of photograph was made using a process that involved coating paper with egg white and silver nitrate solution, then exposing it to light through a negative. The labor in this process is considerable, involving a degree of chemical knowledge and mastery of the darkroom. The final image also carries a social charge. Photography was becoming more widespread but remained a relatively specialized skill. Bonfils was part of a generation of artists who used the medium to document far-flung places. In a way, these images were always touched by the artist's hand and eye. They weren't just mechanical reproductions; they were crafted impressions, born from the meeting of art, science, and a whole lot of work.