Gezicht op Rio de Janeiro 1890 - 1910

Marc Ferrez made this photograph of Rio de Janeiro using a camera and darkroom techniques. The seemingly straightforward image is in fact a carefully constructed object, made possible by the technologies of industrial manufacturing. Think of the silver salts, which are so reactive to light, that they can record a whole city. Ferrez would have been highly skilled, understanding the properties of his materials and the chemistry of the darkroom. The photograph is incredibly detailed. The city seems to stretch out to infinity, and yet it is ultimately bounded. We can see its limits, both geographically and also socially. Photography was closely tied to modernization, and in Brazil, that meant portraying an urban environment ready for business. It also meant side-stepping the less palatable aspects of Brazilian life. So while this picture might seem like a straightforward representation, it is important to remember the layers of process and purpose that went into its making. It is through considering these conditions of production that we can truly understand the image's place in history.