Milliken House before 1878

Curator: This fascinating photograph, titled "Milliken House," is an albumen print by Thomas Annan, dating from before 1878. Editor: It’s undeniably haunting. That stark, decaying facade against the bare trees... there's a melancholy stillness to it. What do we know about its construction? Curator: Beyond this specific image? Unfortunately, details on the precise building techniques used are scarce. However, albumen prints involve coating paper with egg whites, which gives them that distinctive sheen and allows for fine detail, highlighting textures beautifully, like the decaying façade you mention. Editor: So, a labor-intensive process designed to capture the precision of wealth but revealing a deeper story of decline through its focus on surface and craft. The material betrays the supposed symbolism. What did "Milliken House" symbolize to its inhabitants, and why choose albumen for it? Curator: Houses often embody ideas of legacy and lineage, aspirations etched in brick and stone. Albumen was very popular for capturing landscapes and architecture. This image is a record and perhaps an idealization but it captures a family's attempt at permanence. I believe Annan intentionally captures the decay here, revealing what such attempts truly mean in light of history. Editor: It’s a pointed commentary. The very act of making the photograph requires resources and labor, drawing a throughline across time and the physical costs of building. Even then, what is created risks becoming just as fragile as the albumen process. Curator: Precisely. Annan is holding a mirror to that ambition. This is an era defined by enormous shifts in cultural awareness of wealth. To me it's a powerful emblem of that tension between wanting permanence and being faced with decay. Editor: Well, now that I know how fragile the image is on its support, I find that decay quite lovely in a materialist kind of way. Curator: It is an important reminder that the passage of time touches everything, even our grandest endeavors.