Gevel van het Palacio Real te Madrid 1862 - 1876

This stereograph of the Royal Palace in Madrid was made by Jean Andrieu sometime in the mid-19th century, using the wet collodion process. This technique required coating a glass plate with light-sensitive chemicals, exposing it in the camera while still wet, and then developing it immediately. The resulting print is an albumen print, made by coating paper with egg white and silver nitrate, resulting in a rich sepia tone. Look at the subtle variations in the surface, and notice how the light plays across the image. Photography was relatively new at this time, and so too was the idea of mass producing images. The wet collodion process allowed for multiple prints to be made from a single negative, which made photography more accessible to a wider audience. The rise of photography also meant a shift in the understanding of art, from a unique handmade object to one that could be reproduced and distributed. Ultimately, photography democratized image-making, challenging the traditional hierarchy between fine art and craft.