Portret van Ranbir Singh, Maharadja van Jammu en Kashmir 1880 - 1890

Editor: This albumen print, "Portret van Ranbir Singh, Maharadja van Jammu en Kashmir," was taken by John Burke between 1880 and 1890. The detail is incredible! The Maharaja’s clothing and adornments, the patterned carpet… I'm struck by how posed and constructed the image feels. What do you see in this piece, considering the materials used and the time it was made? Curator: I'm immediately drawn to the process of creating an albumen print in the late 19th century. Think about the layers of labor involved: from preparing the glass plate negative and coating the paper with egg whites and silver nitrate, to the exposure time and careful development. It’s a highly specialized and controlled industrial process. Consider that the luxurious appearance reinforces the power and authority that resides outside the image in access to material, wealth and specialized, often outsourced or colonial, labor. Editor: So, it's less about capturing a realistic likeness and more about demonstrating power and access to resources? Curator: Precisely! The very materiality of the photograph signifies wealth and imperial reach. Who benefits from creating and disseminating such images, and who is rendered invisible in the process? What were the social relations underpinning the aesthetic decisions involved? Note that this particular style is sometimes referred to as Orientalism; a staged encounter of an idealized otherness. It exoticizes by use of light, texture, and framing to convey romanticized stories. Editor: It is eye opening to consider photography in terms of its labor and embedded systems. Now the Maharaja seems almost like a prop! Curator: Exactly. By focusing on the material conditions and historical context, we can move beyond the surface appearance and uncover the complex power dynamics at play in the creation and consumption of this image. I find the materiality illuminating as to wealth and authority as primary drivers, as opposed to the more ethereal concept of “beauty”.