Untitled 1859

This photograph, made in 1859 by an anonymous artist, is a silver print on paper. This process, relatively new at the time, involved coating paper with light-sensitive chemicals and exposing it to light through a negative. Looking at the image, you can see a group of formally dressed individuals posed on the steps of a building. The tonal range is subtle, with the silver giving the image a reflective quality. Photography in the 19th century was a complex interplay of science, craft, and social practice. While it democratized portraiture, making it accessible to a broader public, it also relied on specialized labor and materials, from the photographers themselves to the manufacturers of chemicals and equipment. It was an emerging industry, very much shaped by industrial capitalism. This image shows a world on the brink of transformation, as new technologies reconfigured social relations. Photography offers insight into this moment, as art, document, and commodity.