Verwijderen van een deel van de iris tijdens een oogoperatie before 1873

Curator: This albumen print, entitled "Verwijderen van een deel van de iris tijdens een oogoperatie" by A. de Montméja, presents a direct look at an iris removal procedure sometime before 1873. It's realism aesthetic offers us a glimpse into the history of medical photography. Editor: The scene certainly has a chilling and clinical feel. The composition is so intimate; it creates an uneasy sense of being far too close. One cannot help but be struck by the textures and the rather archaic looking surgical tools. Curator: Precisely! This photography exemplifies how the medium developed to document practices and advance scientific understandings in medicine. The very act of documenting medical interventions reflected shifts in power dynamics and patient autonomy in healthcare during the late 19th century. Editor: And this is precisely why I appreciate that De Montméja made this visual recording. This albumen print, like the photographic process, represents an intersection of technological advancement and the production of knowledge. I find myself fixating on the artisan’s labor and the manufacturing process. One thinks about the industrial chemistry and materials—glass plates, silver nitrate, and albumin—needed to create these images. Curator: Absolutely. Furthermore, thinking about this photo historically and the social conventions around photography, we have to consider the role that images play in defining concepts of normalcy, health, and even disability. This person is having surgery performed on their eye, the picture is in fact dehumanizing when you start to deconstruct what purpose is behind an image such as this. Who gets to make decisions about someone's body like this? What is at stake for the person who is under the surgeon's hand? Editor: Those are valid, vital questions about consent, access, and what kind of aesthetic codes frame our views, indeed. Thank you for sharing that with me. Thinking about it with fresh ears I leave more mindful now. Curator: Likewise. The dialogue it fosters is invaluable.