Jaap Batavier c. 1860 - 1915

This is a photograph of Jaap Batavier, made by Willem Witsen. The photographic process itself – carefully controlled exposure to light, and development in chemical baths – gives the piece its sepia tone and soft focus. It's easy to forget, looking at photographs today, how novel and exciting this medium once was. Consider the labor involved in capturing an image like this: the mixing of chemicals, the precise timing required, and the creation of the print itself. And of course, someone had to manufacture all the materials required for the process. Photographs democratized portraiture, making it available to a wider audience. It shifted image-making from the realm of painting to a blend of craft and industry, entwining art with the rise of a consumer culture. Looking at the image today, we might think about how this history is embedded in the object itself, a reminder that even the most seemingly straightforward image carries with it a complex web of social and economic relations.