[George Edwards Hering] 1860s

This portrait of George Edwards Hering was created by John and Charles Watkins using the albumen silver print process, a popular photographic technique in the mid-19th century. This involved coating paper with a layer of egg white, then silver nitrate, making it sensitive to light. The resulting print has a distinctive warm tone and a smooth surface. The Watkins brothers operated a successful commercial photography studio in London, catering to a growing market for portraiture fueled by the rise of the middle class. While photography was becoming increasingly accessible, it still required specialized skills and equipment. Studios like the Watkins' employed skilled artisans to prepare the chemicals, operate the cameras, and develop the prints. This division of labor reflects the changing nature of work in the industrial era, where even artistic practices were subject to new modes of production and consumption. Ultimately, it democratized the art of portraiture, making it available to a wider audience, not just the elite.