View in Switzerland 1850s

John Joscelyn Coghill made this photograph, "View in Switzerland," using the wet collodion process on albumen silver print. The choice of albumen paper is significant. It was the first commercially available photographic paper and produced a glossy surface, which was very popular in the Victorian era. The process involved coating paper with albumen from egg whites, then sensitizing it with silver nitrate. This labor-intensive process speaks to the intersection of science, craft, and early industrial practices in photography. The sepia tone and soft focus lend the image a romantic, picturesque quality, very different from the hard edges and sharp detail we associate with digital photography today. While the subject matter evokes the sublime beauty of nature, the photograph itself is deeply rooted in the burgeoning technologies and commercial possibilities of the 19th century. The rise of photography created a market for landscape views, feeding into the growing tourism industry. This photograph is a fascinating reminder that even seemingly straightforward representations of the world are always mediated by materials, processes, and social contexts. It challenges the divide between art, craft, and technology.