Gezicht op het Koninklijk Paleis van Turijn c. 1870 - 1885

This is Giovanni Battista Maggi’s photographic view of the Royal Palace of Turin. The photographic process, especially in its earlier manifestations like this one, was alchemical. Think of it as a unique blend of science and artistry. Light, captured through a lens, interacted with specially prepared surfaces, often involving silver halides, to create an image. The final sepia tone infuses the architecture with warmth and age. Photography offered a seemingly objective representation of reality. The material reality of the Royal Palace is not just about the building, but about the labour of its original construction, and the social context within which it was viewed. Photography democratized image-making, moving it away from the exclusive realm of painting. So, while the image is of a palace – a symbol of power and wealth – the means of its production speaks to the changing social dynamics of the 19th century, where technology began to mediate our relationship with the world.