Groep onbekende personen die naar twee danseressen kijken before 1897

This photograph by Christiaan Johan Neeb captures a group of people watching two dancers. It’s an albumen print, a process popular in the 19th century, using egg whites to bind the photographic chemicals to the paper. The process itself involves a high degree of skill, not unlike craft traditions, from preparing the paper to the precise timing of the exposure and development. The sepia tone and soft focus, characteristic of albumen prints, evoke a sense of nostalgia, but also a specific colonial context. Consider how these techniques and materials give Neeb’s photograph its unique aesthetic qualities, while also situating it within a broader history of photographic practice. By examining the materials and processes of image-making, we gain a deeper understanding of its cultural significance.