Portret van een onbekende man van de Mahar-stam before 1872

This is a portrait of an unknown man of the Mahar tribe, made in the late 19th century by Henry Charles Baskerville Tanner. It is a photographic print, likely made using the albumen process, which was popular at the time for its fine detail and tonal range. The albumen print process involved coating paper with egg white and silver nitrate, then exposing it to light through a negative. The resulting image has a characteristic sepia tone, visible here. What is significant about this portrait is that photography at the time was used as a tool of ethnographic documentation, often reinforcing colonial power structures. Tanner's choice of this process speaks to the intersection of art, science, and colonialism in the 19th century. The production of this photograph involved a complex interplay of chemistry, optics, and labor, reflecting the era's technological advancements and their social implications. By considering the materials, making, and context, we can see the artwork's historical and cultural significance beyond its aesthetic qualities.