A Portion of the Citywall, Foochow 1869

Lai Fong made this albumen print of Foochow's city wall sometime in the late 19th century. Here, the material is light-sensitive paper, carefully prepared with a coating derived from egg whites, exposed through a glass negative. But let’s consider the subject, too: the wall itself, and the labour it represents. The massive scale speaks to enormous effort. Each stone was quarried, dressed, and laid in place. You can almost feel the weight of the individual blocks. Think of the coordinated work it would have taken to raise these defensive structures, all those bodies moving in unison, generations of skilled masons. Photography, like masonry, involves technique, patience and expertise, and yet the result can seem effortless. Here, Fong’s photograph flattens the wall, transforming mass into surface. In doing so, he reveals both the materiality of the wall, and his own artistry. It's a reminder that every image, like every wall, is built one piece at a time.