Untitled [military portrait] 1858 - 1869

This military portrait was made by Jeremiah Gurney, a celebrated American photographer known for his portraits of prominent figures, including Abraham Lincoln. It’s a small photograph, made using the wet collodion process, a popular method in the mid-19th century that involved coating a glass plate with chemicals, exposing it in the camera while still wet, and then developing it immediately. The process demanded speed and precision. The resulting image has a soft, almost ethereal quality, and you can see the subtle variations in tone that create a sense of depth and texture. The subject's uniform is rendered in meticulous detail, each button and fold captured with remarkable clarity. Photography in the 1800s was not just a scientific marvel, but a significant cultural phenomenon, democratizing portraiture and making it accessible to a wider segment of society. This portrait reflects the burgeoning middle class and their aspirations, as well as the social and political context of a nation on the brink of civil war. By focusing on the materials and processes involved, we can appreciate how photography challenged traditional artistic hierarchies and reshaped our understanding of representation.