Groepsportret van een reünie in de buurt van Montreux, Zwitserland, vermoedelijk van de Sociéte des Photographes Suisses Possibly 1899

Editor: Here we have a group portrait, possibly from 1899, titled "Groepsportret van een reünie in de buurt van Montreux, Zwitserland, vermoedelijk van de Société des Photographes Suisses", attributed to Edouard Potterat. It is a photographic print. I'm struck by how staged it feels, almost like a theatrical production. What catches your eye about this piece? Curator: It's precisely that "staged" quality that interests me. We're not just seeing a picture, we are seeing the tangible evidence of labor and social practice. Consider the photographer's studio, the chemical processes involved in developing the print, and even the labour in sitting still and facing the camera of all of these subjects. Can you discern class relations depicted in the materiality and manufacturing of photography at this moment? Editor: Well, the subjects appear to be middle or upper class, judging by their clothing and leisurely setting. The print itself, while mass-producible, still represents a level of technical skill and investment in materials that would have been inaccessible to many. Curator: Precisely! And consider the function of photography at this time, primarily as documentation or social marker rather than artistic pursuit. Examining photography within that system and industrial means highlights its purpose as tool, product, and marker of status and group affiliation. Does that offer you any new angles? Editor: It does. I hadn't thought about the societal factors that shaped it. This makes me want to investigate photographic practices from then further and analyze the influence of production values on society and its visual output! Curator: Exactly. Seeing beyond the surface means questioning the conditions and values imbedded in its making.