Portret van een zittende man met baard 1898 - 1900

This is a portrait of a seated man with a beard, made by the Sanders Brothers using the albumen print process, a popular photographic technique in the 19th century. Albumen prints were created by coating paper with egg white and silver nitrate, making it sensitive to light. The negative was then placed on the paper and exposed to sunlight, creating a detailed image. The final print has a distinctive glossy surface, and a warm sepia tone that gives it a sense of timelessness. The sitter's formal attire, the ornate chair, and the photographer's skilled manipulation of light and shadow all contribute to the sense of him being part of the middle class, with all the privileges that this entailed. The labour involved in creating such images extends beyond the photographer, into the workforce that produces the chemicals, equipment, and even the paper itself. By attending to these material and social conditions, we can move beyond simply seeing the photograph as a record, and towards understanding its deeper cultural significance.