Gezicht op het Museo Nacional del Prado en rechts de fontein van Neptunus in Madrid c. 1880 - 1890

This photograph of the Museo Nacional del Prado and the Neptune Fountain in Madrid was made by Juan Laurent using an early photographic process. Though it may seem worlds away from craft, photography has always involved a complex interaction of chemistry, optics, and manual skill. Consider the way the image is built up – through careful manipulation of light-sensitive materials. The tones, textures, and even the composition are all carefully controlled by the photographer’s choices. Laurent, like other photographers of his time, was not simply capturing reality, but actively shaping it. There’s labor involved here, not just in the taking of the photograph, but in the industrial processes required to produce the photographic materials. These processes, like many other forms of making, are deeply embedded in social and economic structures. By recognizing this, we can move beyond the surface of the image and appreciate the deeper layers of meaning it contains.