Winterlandschap in de Goudvink bossen te Ugchelen 1900 - 1930

Richard Tepe made this photograph of the Goudvink woods in Ugchelen using a camera and photographic paper, materials that had become increasingly accessible thanks to industrial production. The stark monochrome palette and delicate gradations of tone are achieved through chemical processes, each one requiring careful control. Think about the labor involved, not only in taking the photograph but also in producing the materials themselves. The paper, the lenses, the darkroom equipment; all these relied on factories and distribution networks. Tepe was clearly interested in capturing a specific atmospheric effect. The weight of the snow, the skeletal forms of the trees, the muffled silence of a winter’s day. Photography like this allowed for the mass production of images and, in turn, a democratization of seeing. Looking at this photograph reminds us that even seemingly simple images are the result of complex industrial processes and human labor.