[Still Life with Books] 1870s - 1880s

This photograph, "Still Life with Books," was made by William Notman, most likely in his Montreal studio, using the wet collodion process. This was the dominant photographic technique of the mid-19th century, involving coating a glass plate with light-sensitive chemicals, exposing it in the camera while still wet, and then developing it immediately. You might notice the incredible detail achieved with this method. Each book's texture and individual character are rendered with surprising clarity, creating a captivating interplay of light and shadow. But think for a moment about the labor involved. The photographer had to be as much a chemist as an artist. The time-consuming process of preparing and developing each plate, and the skilled work of arranging the books, underscores the value placed on knowledge and learning during this era. Photographs like these, therefore, occupy an interesting space, both as documents of material culture and as testaments to the skill and labor involved in their creation.