Twee vrouwen bij een rivier before 1899

This is a photograph of two women by a river, by G.H. Cowen. It’s an albumen print, a process refined in the 1850s that used egg whites to bind the photographic chemicals to the paper. The tonality we see here is directly related to that material. The albumen gives the print its characteristic warm brown hue, and also a glossy surface. The photograph is actually created from silver particles suspended in that layer of egg white. This particular process, and the popularity of photography generally, speaks volumes about the rapidly expanding technology of image-making in the 19th century. A process that democratized art in some ways, although it was still a relatively specialized activity. The final print would have been much easier to reproduce than, say, an oil painting. So, while it may seem worlds away from craft, consider that photography, too, involves choices of materials, processes, and skilled labor. Paying attention to these aspects can reveal so much about the cultural significance of what we see.