Australische soldaten in de houding voor een mars in Zuid-Afrika 1900

This stereoscopic image, made around 1900 by Underwood & Underwood, shows Australian soldiers ready to march in South Africa. Stereoscopy was a popular technology that created a 3D effect, achieved here through two photographs printed side by side on card stock. The collodion process used to produce these images required great skill. The photographer coated a glass plate with chemicals, exposed it in the camera while still wet, and then developed it immediately. It was laborious work, yet it allowed for mass production of images for public consumption. What's fascinating about this image is the way it reflects the industrialization of both photography and warfare. The soldiers are rendered as objects within a landscape of imperial ambition, while the photographer’s skill is harnessed to create a commodity sold and traded on a global scale. It is a reminder that even seemingly documentary photographs are crafted objects, shaped by the forces of labor, technology, and political power.