Gezicht op Burcht Sooneck bij Niederheimbach langs de Rijn 1860 - 1890

This stereoscopic photo of Sooneck Castle, near the Rhine, was made by Ferrier Père-Fils et Soulier. The image is an albumen silver print on glass, a process involving coating a glass plate with light-sensitive chemicals, exposing it to light, and then using silver salts to develop the image. The albumen process, popular in the 19th century, yields incredibly sharp detail and tonal range. It also implies a whole division of labor. First, the glass production itself, then the grinding and polishing. Chemicals needed to be mixed, precisely measured, and handled with care. Skilled photographers had to work with their bulky equipment on-site. Finally, the image, presented in stereoscope, was meant to create the illusion of three-dimensionality. This photograph, then, is not just an image, but an artifact of industrial chemistry, of a growing tourist industry, and of a culture that valued not just the depicted castle, but also the cleverness of its own technologies. The act of photographic documentation is inherently linked to the broader social and economic contexts that shape the perception and appreciation of art and architecture.