View of the canal of Dal lake, near Chinar Bagh, Srinagar, Kashmir, India 1864 - 1865

This albumen print, taken by Samuel Bourne, shows the canal of Dal Lake near Chinar Bagh in Kashmir, India. The albumen process, popular in the 19th century, involved coating paper with egg white and silver nitrate, creating a surface sensitive to light. The negative was then placed on the prepared paper and exposed to sunlight, resulting in a detailed, sepia-toned image. The production of albumen prints involved a significant amount of labor, from the preparation of the paper to the careful development and toning of the image. The process also demanded expertise and precision, highlighting the photographer's skill in manipulating the materials and chemistry involved. Consider that this image wasn't easily snapped on a phone, but was the result of alchemical craft. This invites us to appreciate not only the image itself, but the historical conditions that made it. We are left to contemplate the complex relationship between art, labor, and technological advancement.