Stars in Cygnus before 1899

Curator: Look at this compelling image from before 1899, “Stars in Cygnus” by Isaac Roberts, made using a gelatin-silver print. It appears as if it’s part of an open book about the applications of photography. Editor: Immediately, I’m struck by the contrast. A dark, almost velvety void speckled with these incredibly precise, almost militant, pinpricks of light. There’s something somber and awe-inspiring about it, the weight of deep space made palpable through material and photographic precision. Curator: Exactly. Consider the social context of Roberts's work; astronomy at this time was intertwined with philosophical and even spiritual questioning. Photography offered what appeared to be objective truth, and these early celestial images were embraced as visual proof of cosmic forces. What implications did it have on social and gender roles at the time? Did seeing the universe influence any shifts in perception of humanity? Editor: I’m more interested in Roberts’ methodology. Working with gelatin silver, think of the lab work, the layering of emulsion on glass, the precise timing of exposures. These aren't just astronomical documents, they're artifacts of incredibly hands-on labour, mediating science with craft in a physical manner. Consider too the very nature of a silver gelatin print, where metallic silver yields the image, a beautiful marriage of materials, reflecting light. How does our contemporary era engage with those concepts of labour? Curator: A compelling question. Thinking about who had access to these technologies and how these representations of the universe shaped public understanding becomes increasingly important when grappling with the ongoing disparities in science and technology. Editor: Ultimately, both the labor behind this early photographic method and its raw materials connect us back to earthly origins even while displaying seemingly ethereal phenomena. It makes me wonder, in this age of digital images, what is lost in our current detachment from materials? Curator: An intriguing tension between the social implications of accessible science and the increasingly abstracted nature of its technologies and forms, all radiating from this image of stars in the Cygnus constellation. Editor: A convergence where starlight and material reality align.