Gezicht op het stadhuis te Doesburg 1890 - 1920

This photograph of the town hall in Doesburg was made by an anonymous photographer working for Monumentenzorg. The image is a sepia print, probably made using the albumen process. This involved coating paper with egg white and silver nitrate, making it sensitive to light. The negative would have been pressed against the paper and exposed to sunlight, a relatively slow process. The resulting print has a warm tone and a smooth surface, typical of albumen prints. What's fascinating here is the relationship between photography and architecture. The photograph is a tool for documentation, but it also shapes our perception of the building. We are looking at an image of a building, and the image-making process. The traces of hand labor and the physical qualities of the print connect it to wider social issues of labor, politics, and consumption. Ultimately, understanding the materials and processes used to create this photograph allows us to appreciate its full meaning, challenging traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.